Pix-Star vs Nixplay: Which is the better frame for grandparents?
The Pix-Star vs Nixplay digital picture frame is not a new one. These are both top digital frames and offer quite a lot of versatility and functionality to the average user. That being said, there are some important differences worth noting if you’re looking to get one of these frames for your grandparents or an elderly/not-so-tech-savvy user.
The main difference between the Pix-Star and the Nixplay frame is the user interface. The Pix-Star offers what feels like a much more intuitive and smoother user interface and experience. This simplicity is important for both sides; the elderly user, and the family members doing the sending.
You’ll find that emailing photos can be a hassle with Nixplay as they are pushing for people to use the mobile app. Everybody that wants to send pictures to grandpa needs to create a Nixplay account or use the app/web interface. This can be tough for large families. On top of this, trusted senders need to be manually added to the frame to make receiving automatic – something most elderly users have no idea how to do.
Both the Pix-Star frame and the Nixplay have remote control functionality, but it’s significantly better with Pix-Star. You can control all the settings on your Pix-Star frame through the web interface and it offers an intuitive and easy to grasp interface that’s quite well laid out. On the other hand, Nixplay’s remote control is done through the mobile app – and it needs a lot of work. Connecting to the frame can be buggy and inconsistent, creating a lot of frustration while your grandparents are waiting on the other side. It also means that everybody who wants to send pictures and control the frame remotely needs to use the app and create an account.
To summarize, Pix-Star offers a cheaper and better-balanced frame for elderly users and large families. You can email photos to the frame from anywhere without needing to create additional accounts and manually add them to the frame’s acceptance list. The user interface on both the frame and the app/web portal is much smoother and more refined. Remotely controlling your Pix-Star frame is quite easy, and offers more control than you get on Nixplay. While both of these frames are good in their own right, Pix-Star’s frame takes the edge for being elderly-friendly and better for big families.
Which is the better choice between the Pix-Star and Nixplay digital picture frames?
Cost is a big area of concern in the Pix-Star vs Nixplay debate. Not only are the Nixplay frame significantly more expensive than Pix-Star’s frames, but they also have a recurring subscription fee. This subscription fee is optional but offers features that are already offered for free on the Pix-Star frame.
The Nixplay Plus subscription fee increases the accepted video clip length up to 1-minute long. Pix-Star offers you 2-minute video clip support for free. Nixplay’s subscription lets you connect up to 10 frames; whereas Pix-Star lets you connect up to 25 frames for free. Nixplay’s subscription offers up to 50GB of cloud storage, but Pix-Star offers you free-for-life & unlimited cloud storage – at no extra cost to you. When you combine the lower price of the Pix-Star frame, along with no recurring fees or hidden costs, the value goes through the roof.
Pix-Star offers better features when it comes to sending photos and videos to the frame. They’ll also appear more natural on the frame due to the 4:3 aspect ratio. It’s a better choice for large families as frames can be easily managed and photos can be organized and shared easily via the web interface. The mobile app seems to offer a much smoother user experience and quicker. Nixplay’s web interface and mobile app have quite a complex interface with a relatively steep learning curve.
Is the viewing experience better on the Pix-Star or Nixplay digital picture frame?
One of the biggest issues that comes up often in the Pix-Star vs Nixplay debate is the aspect ratio of the display. 16:10 is the most common aspect ratio used on Nixplay frames. In the real world, almost none of the photos we take on our phones and cameras match this aspect ratio. Most of our smartphones and point-and-shoot digital cameras take photos in 4:3 (which is what the Pix-Star frame uses).
This creates big problems for the viewing experience of the Nixplay digital picture frame. Almost every picture will need to be distorted, cropped, or boxed in by unsightly black bars – making the already narrow screen appear much smaller. On the other hand, Pix-Star’s frame will display photos much more naturally and use all of the available screen space. The result is a more immersive and effortless viewing experience.
At the same price point, Pix-Star’s frames offer a better viewing experience. The neutral-colored frame draws attention to the display and enhances immersion. Pictures show in full screen more often and don’t need to be manually edited before sending.
Which is better for sending photos between Pix-Star and Nixplay?
Pix-Star’s frames win when it comes to sending photos by email. You just need to add the photos as an attachment to an email that’s addressed to the frame’s unique email address. Senders don’t need to create an account with Pix-Star – but this isn’t the case with Nixplay. All senders need to create an account to send photos by email or to use the mobile app.
One other area where Pix-Star takes a big lead is with web albums. You can link your Pix-Star frame to your favorite social media and photo-sharing platforms effortlessly. It’s all done through the intuitive web interface. It takes only a couple of minutes for the initial selection and linking, but it is automated thereafter. All the linked albums will be automatically synced to your frame’s internal storage – where they can be viewed offline.
Every time you add new photos to any connected album on the support platforms, they’ll be automatically updated and synced to all connected and synced Pix-Star frames. This is an easy and simple way to make sure everybody in the family stays connected and gets the latest photos without needing to lift a finger.
Is a Pix-Star or Nixplay frame better for wall-mounting?
Both the Pix-Star and Nixplay frames can be wall-mounted or rested on a flat surface like a tabletop or mantelpiece. They support standard VESA mounts (purchased separately) and can be mounted in both portrait and landscape orientations. That being said, Pix-Star’s attachable stand is slightly better as it’s more stable and attractive than Nixplay’s stand (on the 10-inch model). It also does a better job of hiding the power inlet cable.
