Are HP digital picture frames worth it in 2021?
You’ve almost certainly heard of HP – but you’ve probably never heard of HP digital picture frames. They have a big brand name behind them, though this doesn’t give them an automatic pass. These budget/cheap frames fall into one of the most competitive categories in the digital frame market.
The cheap frame market segment is a dying one. Premium frames have taken the limelight and haven’t left much room for cheaper frames to shine. This is due to their limited feature sets and functionality. Premium frames are far better suited to modern homes & families in 2021 and beyond.
HP digital picture frames don’t offer anything particularly unique – even for a cheap digital frame. You only get the most basic functionality and can only send photos to the frame via USB/SD card. There’s no Wi-Fi or cloud and as such, there are no ways to remotely send pictures to the frame, and no way to remotely control the frame.
HP digital frames have a low-resolution display that’s only 8-inches.
This immediately jumps out to you as outdated as we’re used to the larger and higher-resolution displays on our smartphones and computers. There are large bezels that make the screen appear small and make the design feel outdated too. Finally, the awkward aspect ratio means that most photos won’t use the full display – especially if they were taken on a smartphone or camera.
The lack of Wi-Fi and cloud features severely limits what the frame can do. You don’t have much control over the play order and the frequency of photos is slideshows. Even the user interface is a little tricky for elderly users to get the hang of. These frames might be okay for a single tech-savvy user as they can’t be synced into a larger group of frames or be remotely controlled/managed.
Despite their cheap price, the lack of durability and modern features leave HP digital picture frames at a significant disadvantage – especially when compared to what you’d get from a premium frame. They’re not suitable for families and don’t have the ease of use you’d expect from an elderly-friendly frame. You should rather save up a little longer and get a frame that’s better for modern homes, families, and elderly users – but more on that below.
How do HP digital picture frames compare with Pix-Star’s frames?
Pix-Star’s digital picture frames are some of the most versatile among the top digital frames. They have extensive Wi-Fi & cloud functions that let you send photos & other media to several frames at the same time – from anywhere in the world. Pix-Star’s frames come in 2 sizes; a 10-inch frame, and a larger 15-inch version.
Perhaps one of the biggest value points for Pix-Star’s frames is their free-for-life cloud storage. It lets you manage & control up to 25 connect Pix-Star frames via the web interface. You can change their settings, remotely start & manage slideshows, manage local & cloud storage or each frame, update their firmware, and much more.
Pix-Star’s web album feature lets you link & view photos from social media sites like Facebook & Instagram, photo-sharing platforms like Google Photos & Flickr, and online storage sites like Google Drive & Dropbox. You can select albums of photos to sync to your frame and they’ll be saved to internal storage for offline use. Web albums can be linked remotely and to several frames (from one account).
In terms of the display quality, Pix-Star’s frames have a higher resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio – which is a particularly important feature. It means that the photos you take on your phone or camera can often be displayed without requiring cropping or being boxed in by ugly black pillar bars. Learn how to start slideshows on the Pix-Star frame here!
The Pix-Star Snap mobile app lets you send up to 250 photos to several frames at the same time. Frames are easily added to the app via their unique email address and can simply be selected from the list once added. There’s no need to create a user account to use the app and there are no extra fees charged to unlock it (unlike some other premium digital frame brands).
Features like web radio & music, video & audio support & playback, 8GB of internal memory, and more, give the Pix-Star a massive lead over HP digital picture frames. It’s worth saving up longer and getting a frame like the Pix-Star. It’s a more reliable and capable choice for modern homes, families, and specifically, cater to elderly users. Learn more about Pix-Star’s frames here and browse through their products!
Can HP digital picture frames be remotely controlled?
Since HP digital picture frames don’t have Wi-Fi or cloud functionality, features like the ability to remotely control the frame aren’t possible. Settings can only be changed directly on the frame’s interface and can’t be done remotely. This is common for all cheap digital photo frames as they rarely have Wi-Fi connectivity and never come with cloud storage. These features are almost exclusively found on premium digital frames like the Pix-Star and a handful of other top digital photo frames.
Can HP digital picture frames play videos & audio messages?
While HP digital picture frames claim to have limited video support, it seldom works in practice. Only one video file format is supported and only very short video clips can be loaded to the frame (a couple of seconds). Internal storage space is very limited on HP digital frames and doesn’t offer enough space for most video clips. If you’re looking for a digital photo frame that can play videos, look elsewhere. Cheap digital frames seldom offer this feature and it’s usually only common to more premium frames like the Pix-Star and a couple of other top frames.
How many photos can HP digital picture frames hold?
HP digital picture frames have a very limited internal storage capacity. You can only hold around 500-800 photos. This is a stark contrast with frames like the Pix-Star that can hold 30,000+ photos just on the frame – before considering externally connected USB/SD card and the free-for-life cloud storage. You can connect a USB/SD card to HP digital picture frames, but need to leave them inserted at all times to view the photos in slideshows.
