Why are digital photo frames with 12-inch displays so expensive?
Digital photo frames with 12-inch displays are often the same price – and sometimes even pricier – than 14 and 15-inch digital frames. This springs from the fact that 12-inch display panels are far less common, so they’re more expensive to source in large quantities – at least when compared to 10-inch or 15-inch display panels.
This means that digital photo frames with 12-inch displays are going to be quite a bit more expensive than 10-inch frames, often costing around the same as 15-inch frames. To keep the price competitive, sacrifices often need to be made to the frame’s feature set, functionality, versatility, control, or display quality – none of which you’d want to miss out on in a modern digital photo frame.
We usually suggest going for the uber-popular 10-inch digital photo frame. Pix-Star’s 10-inch digital frames offer great value for money and are excellent for families. Larger 15-inch frames are great for art & photography, they’re an ideal choice for wall-mounting or adding a personalized touch to your home – or professional – studio.
Does Pix-Star sell digital photo frames with 12-inch displays?
Pix-Star doesn’t sell digital photo frames with a 12-inch display – and for good reason. Pix-Star sells both a 10-inch digital photo frame and a larger 15-inch digital frame. The 10-inch frame is one of the most popular digital frames sizes on today’s market, easily dominating online selling platforms like Amazon – with 15-inch frames being arguably better for art, photography, large room, and home studios.
The issue with 12-inch display panels is that they’re quite a bit more expensive than 10-inch panels – but offer very little noticeable difference. The difference between 10 and 15-inch panels is very tangible and they offer different functionality. On the other hand, 12-inch display panels are less common (therefore more expensive) and cost about the same as 15-inch panels (and even more in some cases).
Pix-Star considered selling a 12-inch digital frame but found that the value for money simply doesn’t match what their 10-inch and 15-inch frames offer. We don’t recommend getting 12-inch frames. They’ll cost almost the same as 15-inch frames, yet they’ll perform more like 10-inch frames in the real world – which is why 10-inch frames are so popular at the moment. Check out Pix-Star’s 10-inch digital photo frame for one of the best value-for-money frames on today’s market!
Are digital photo frames with 12-inch screens good for art and photography?
Since 12-inch digital photo frames are considered to be large digital frames, they’re decent for both art and photography – though there’s more to consider than just display size.
For reference, Pix-Star’s 15-inch digital frames can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the world, use a 4:3 aspect ratio, offer extensive Wi-Fi functionality, free-for-life cloud storage, access to the Pix-Star Snap mobile app, and the Pix-Star web dashboard. You can import photos directly from your computer or social media & photo-sharing sites to your Pix-Star frames.
These are all must-have features for displaying art and photography – especially if you want a frame that helps you share special moments and memories with your family & friends frames. You also have to consider the resolution and display aspect ratio, particularly when displaying professional photographs.
Since most of our smartphones capture in 4:3, digital frames with 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios aren’t well suited. Most full-frame cameras shoot in 3:2, which display awfully on 16:9 and 16:10 displays. Almost every photo will be boxed into the center of the display, zoomed, distorted, or cropped. At best, they’ll have black pillar bars around the sides or top of each photo.
How to set up digital photo frames with 12-inch displays?
Digital photo frames with 12-inch displays are at an awkward place size-wise. They’re often a little too big to be rested on a flat surface – but usually too small to wall-mount in a large or well-lit room. This isn’t to say that 10-inch and 12-inch frames aren’t great when mounted on the wall, but it is harder to find the right setup.
Another key consideration is that 12-inch digital frames aren’t very common. If you look at both 10-inch and 15-inch digital frames, there’s a much broader product selection. This means you’re more likely to find a frame with the features that are important to you such as Wi-Fi, cloud connectivity, access to mobile apps & web interfaces, versatile slideshows, etc.
Finding 12-inch digital frames with a standard VESA mount, dedicated hanging holes, an attachable stand, Wi-Fi & cloud capabilities, and a great display isn’t easy. You need to think about features like remote control functionality when setting up your digital photo frame. While the setup process is generally simple, we suggest sticking to either 10-inch or 15-inch digital frames – they’re both better at what they do. 12-inch frames try to do a bit of both – but end up not being great at either.
Do 12-inch digital photo frames use touchscreens?
Touchscreens are seldom found on 12-inch digital photo frames. Any display panel larger than 8-inches is significantly more expensive when a touch panel is used. This is why almost all large digital picture frames don’t use touchscreens.
The higher price of these panels often leads to sacrifices being made to the frame’s feature set, functionality, connectivity, or display quality. This is why many touchscreen digital frames are plagued by poor durability reviews – with the display panel being one of the first parts of the frame to fail or experience issues.
We rarely recommend buying a touchscreen digital photo frame – especially on a frame larger than 10-inches. They’re far less durable, prone to scratching, fingerprints are a nightmare to clean off, and matte-finish displays can be near impossible to remove the oil and dirt (that builds up from frequent touching).
Elderly users can often struggle to get used to touching interfaces as they’re often poorly designed. While touch interfaces might seem like an intuitive solution, it seldom delivers as planned in the real world. Additionally, features like the ability to remotely configure and manage your frames from anywhere in the world (e.g., Pix-Star’s remote control feature) make the need for a touchscreen redundant.
