The Best Digital Photo Frame

Digital photo frames are nothing new. In fact, they’ve been around since the 1990s. But if you haven’t shopped for one of these innovations for a while, you may not realize just how far they’ve come. Today’s digital photo frames are built for the way consumers store their photos, often relying heavily on Wi-Fi connectivity and online photo importing.

The first feature to note when buying a photo frame is resolution. When you’re pulling photos in from various sources, you probably won’t always have them in the highest resolution available. Some frames will also automatically orient your photos, avoiding that annoying issue of photos displaying sideways.

Getting photos onto the frame is the biggest challenge. Most frames connect to Wi-Fi, but you can often save significant money by opting for a version that relies solely on USB devices for photo importing. If you choose Wi-Fi, make sure you also have a USB option if that’s important to you. You should also research whether a frame will pull photos from your social media feeds, as well as whether you can email photos directly to your frame.

No matter which model you choose, storage space is an important factor. Some frames let you use cloud storage, but with many, you’ll be limited on the number of photos you can store on the actual frame. Some frames come with an online photo management tool that lets you store all your photos in the cloud, eliminating the need to rely on onboard storage.

Once you’ve nailed down the features, your choice may boil down to how the frame actually looks. Many of today’s frames have sleek, classy designs that look more like a small computer monitor than a traditional photo frame. Some come in multiple color options, as well, making it easier to find one that matches your own home or office décor.

• Whether it’s photos of your last vacation or your child’s soccer game, you want your images to display as vividly as possible. This comes down primarily to resolution. You can find frames with resolutions as high as 1024 x 768, which will offer vivid colors and contrast. Older frames offered only 800 x 600 resolution, and you’ll definitely notice a difference.
• Since many of today’s photos are taken using a smartphone camera, look for a frame that offers a 4:3 aspect ratio that matches the aspect ratio on a smartphone.
• Frame size is also a factor. You can find frames ranging in size from 8 inches to 15 inches. Although bigger isn’t necessarily better, you may find your photos are much more visible with a larger frame. Still, before you buy, consider the space where you’ll be displaying the frame and make sure you choose a frame that fits with your decor. You can also find widescreen frames, which may fit better with your landscape-oriented photos.
• The stand is an important feature. Some frames have a power cord that doubles as a stand, which eliminates the need to figure out where to put the cord so that it’s out of the way.
• Whether you choose portrait or landscape mode for your frame, you won’t want to have to waste time manually rotating all your photos so that they face the right direction. Look for a frame that automatically flips your photo orientation to what it needs to be based on how you’ve set up your frame.
• At one time, a new digital photo frame required a setup process. Today’s frames make it much easier to get up and running. Some of the most popular frames can pull photos from your social media, email and cloud accounts, which comes in handy. Some can even access photos from up to 20 online providers, including Facebook. You’ll find bare-bones frames still require you to upload photos using a memory card or USB flash drive. If you’re taking photos using your smartphone, or having family members share them with you, this could become inconvenient.
• Another feature found in many modern digital frames is the ability to email a photo directly to your frame. If this is a priority for you, look for a frame that lets you share photos through either email or a smartphone. If you capture a photo on your phone, you’ll be able to set some frames up to immediately import it.
• With frames that require you to use either an SD card or USB port, you won’t have access to cloud-based storage. Keep this in mind while you’re shopping.
• If you plan to store photos directly on the frame, you’ll need to find one with plenty of built-in space. Some frames build in 8GB of internal memory for storage, which can handle quite a few photos. Some frames provide only 4GB, but you can also add to that storage by hooking up a USB device or memory card. Consider that a frame that connects to your Wi-Fi won’t require you to store photos on the frame itself since the photos will be stored securely online.
• Although price varies among different makes and models of digital photo frames, you’re sure to find one that fits within your budget.