The best digital picture frames for 2023

Whether its Mother’s Day, Grandparents’ Day, or just any day that ends in “y,” a digital picture frame helps make even the smallest moment make a big impression as favorite memories and unexpected flashbacks pop up. Created to store your most cherished memories and put them on display, these smart frames—many of them wirelessly connected—exponentially increase how many photos can be showcased. For the indecisive among us, this is really good news. And for those who hate clutter, getting rid of 25-plus picture frames and replacing them with a single digital one is even better news. And a digital picture frame you can remotely update for a loved one truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Which leads us to the most important question: How do you pick just one? By reading our informative guide, that’s how! Here’s our selection of the best digital picture frames.

How we chose the best digital picture frames

To make our selections, we honed in on the following criteria:

Storage: Whether in the cloud or on your USB flash drive, photos have to live somewhere. We looked at what kind of storage each photo frame provides and the pros and cons of each option.

Design: If a photo frame is going to live in your home or office long-term, it has to look good. All of the frames in this list are not only functional but aesthetically pleasing as well.

Usability: With any technological advancement comes the difficulty of adjusting to new tools and gadgets. We made sure to select picture frames that provide a friendly user experience.

Size: Like traditional picture frames, digital ones come in different sizes. We included several different options in this category and explained the benefits of each.

Customization: Looking at family photos can be an intimate experience; we made sure to include what level of personalization each picture frame provides.

The best digital picture frames: Reviews & Recommendations

On the surface, a digital photo frame looks almost exactly like the traditional photo frame it was designed to replace. But with many hidden technological features and perks, these well-rounded rectangles are a whole new ball game.

Best overall: Aura Mason Luxe Smart Frame

Why it made the cut: The Aura app enables anyone in the family with a smartphone to add photos to the Mason Luxe picture frame from anywhere, making it the best choice for a household with lots of memories or members to put on display.

Specs

• Screen size/type: 9.7-inch screen
• Connection type(s): WiFi enabled
• Storage type(s): Unlimited cloud storage

Pros

• A sleek, stone-inspired hand-speckled design makes this frame appropriate for almost any room
• Portrait or landscape orientation
• Extremely high resolution for an ultra-crisp display
• Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

Cons

• The most expensive frame in this roundup

Aura makes digital picture frames that stand out for the full-featured technology contained in their chic minimalist design. Thanks to 2.4GHz WiFi capabilities and free unlimited cloud storage, you could send tens of thousands of photos (or short videos) to any Aura Mason Luxe frame on a home network and still not run out of space. Once invited to contribute, anyone with the Aura app on on iOS or Android phone or tablet can edit and add photos from anywhere in seconds, with none of the hassles that come with using email. Once the photos are in the frame, the 2K 2048×1536 (256dpi) display—which can be set up either portrait or landscape, and automatically rotates the screen if reoriented—presents them intelligently cropped in chronological order or randomly shuffled, though you can adjust the speed as you see fit. Auto-dimming technology automatically adjusts brightness for the environment, plus shuts the frame off at night. And an interactive touch bar lets you change photos, view details, and more if you don’t want to reach for your phone.

A straightforward setup process makes it easy to gift an Ausa Mason Luxe, which will display a personalized welcome message/image as soon as its online. Gunning for the “Best Son of 2023” award, the PopSci gear team’s associate managing editor sent one of these frames to his mother for his birthday, and she’s been constantly delighted as new pictures of her other son in Japan, grandchild on the soccer field, or contemplative granddog (shown above) pop up every few days. From the recipient herself: “What I have enjoyed the most … is the burst of joy every time I see a photo of a loved one or a picture a loved one has shared with me!”

Got a bigger family or group of friends but want to spend a little less? Consider the $149 Aura Carver Smart Frame, which has a 10.1-inch HD (1200×800 150dpi) display with a landscape orientation within its modernist setting. While it’s a lower resolution than the Mason Luxe and vertical images will be displayed as pairs, the horizontal alignment means there’s still lots of room for a crowd of smiling faces, as well as beautiful vistas. Aura’s convenient, beautiful digital picture frames check every box regarding usability, accessibility, and aesthetics.

Best large: Pix-Star Digital Photo Frame

Why it made the cut: This extra-large photo frame from Pix-Star is best for displaying your loudest, proudest moments (in both photo and video form).

Specs

• Screen size/type: 15-inch IPS LED screen
• Connection type(s): WiFi enabled, USB stick, SDHC card, or SDXC card
• Storage type(s): 8GB internal memory
• Additional features: Motion-sensor activated

Pros

• Share photos and videos via the Pix-Star app
• 8GB internal memory
• Motion sensor activated

Cons

• Large display could make low-res images look pixelated

Pix-Star made this 1024×768, 4:3 photo frame with your biggest memories in mind: those moments that, even when condensed into a photo, seem to jump out from the screen. Think weddings, graduations, international vacations—the memories that really deserve front and center display are about to have a serious moment.

Conveniently, Pix-Star has an app via which you can share images from anywhere in the world, meaning that even if you can’t be with your loved ones at the moment, you can still send them memories of a happier time. Pix-Star doesn’t have cloud storage, though, so you’ll have to rely on the frame’s internal storage. But with 8GB (around 30,000 images), it’s unlikely that you’ll run out of room. Additionally, you can connect a social media account and share photos directly from your Facebook or Instagram profile, for example. Other ways to share include a USB stick, SDHC card, or SDXC card. Simply pick the 25 photos you’d like to display on this (huge!) screen and connect via whatever form is easiest for you.

Best small: Atatat Digital Frame With IPS Screen

Why it made the cut: This digital photo frame allows you to add background music, adjust the brightness, edit the slideshow, and more, making it one of the most customizable picture frames.

Specs

• Screen size/type: IPS screen
• Connection type(s): USB
• Storage type(s): 128GB
• Additional features: Adjustable brightness, background music

Pros

• IPS screen for optimized viewing
• Comes with a remote control
• Multiple slideshow modes

Cons

• No app or WiFi capabilities
• No cloud storage

This digital photo frame may not have the bells and whistles of a more technologically advanced frame, but what it lacks in features, it makes up for in customization of what it does and does well. Here you’ll get an alarm clock, calendar, personal music (uploaded via USB), multiple languages, a remote control, and adjustable slideshow settings to create a truly personalized viewing experience. 

With only 7 inches of screen, this is also one of the most compact digital photo frames. Despite being physically small, it has tons of storage: 128GB, to be exact. What’s more, an IPS screen makes for a much better viewing experience than an LED screen, so every photo you upload will look its best. Take this frame with you wherever you go, or find it a permanent home in your space. The options are endless with a small, portable screen like this one.

Best touchscreen: Sammix Digital Picture Frame

Why it made the cut: It’s never been easier to set up, share, and enjoy a digital picture frame. Sammix’s laundry list of capabilities empowers every user, and a separate app means you can share photos from anywhere in the world.

Specs

• Screen size/type: 10-inch IPS touchscreen
• Connection type(s): WiFi enabled
• Storage type(s): 16GB

Pros

• Easy setup with an IPS touchscreen
• Turns on and off via motion sensor
• Built-in 16GB storage

Cons

• Instant sharing only works with a 2.4GHz WiFi network
• No built-in battery

Sammix makes sharing images with loved ones easy; it’s as simple as downloading their app, Ourphoto. With a 2.4GHz WiFi network, adding photos to the frame can happen in seconds. Other features include a motion-activated on/off switch so that the slideshow automatically starts up when you walk into the room; a user-friendly touch-screen interface; and a sleep mode for evening or naptime. 

This Sammix frame isn’t perfect; the instant sharing only works with a 2.4GHz network (so if you have a 5GHz network, this may not be the frame for you). And the frame won’t work unless it’s plugged in since it doesn’t have a built-in battery. Otherwise, Sammix does an excellent job of making the user experience accessible, and the IPS screen keeps things looking crisp. Lastly, additional features like background music, video compatibility, an alarm clock, a calendar, and daily weather reports make this digital picture frame a winner, though not quite top of its class.

Best budget: Aluratek Digital Photo Frame

Why it made the cut: Though Aluratek lacks a lot of the fancier features seen in other products, it’s much better priced than those items and still performs the most important duty of a photo frame: displaying your photos!

Specs

• Screen size/type: 7-inch screen
• Storage type(s): USB flash drives, SD cards
• Additional features: Automatic slideshow, high-quality wood frame

Pros

• Compatible with both USB flash drives and SD cards
• Various display and transitions options for your slideshow
• Frame adjustable for both horizontal and vertical orientation

Cons:

• No built-in battery
• No remote control
• No touchscreen

It’s back to basics with the Aluratek digital photo frame. It’s wallet-friendly, but there’s a price: It doesn’t boast many of the features that come standard in other frames. There’s no battery, no remote control, no touchscreen, and no built-in memory. However, let’s not be deterred by the overt simplicity of this frame. For a very affordable price, the Aluratek frame performs the same basic function as the pricier frames. And without all of those gadgets, you may find it’s much easier to use, too. 

Regarding storage, no built-in memory means that capacity will depend entirely on the size of your USB or SD card. Further, you’ll have to keep this frame plugged in for it to work, so be sure you have a spot in mind to display it that’s near an outlet. Choose from landscape or portrait orientation, select from several slideshow options, and you’re all set to enjoy this frame.

Things to consider before buying a digital picture frame

Unlike traditional photo frames, purchasing a digital picture frame isn’t necessarily a small expense. So it’s important to be intentional about what features you prioritize and whether or not there are features you can live without. And as technology advances, we should all be conscious of what gadgets could become obsolete in the near future. For example, will you really still have that SD card in 10 years, or will everything be on the cloud? Here are some more considerations:

Essential features

First, ask yourself if you’re OK with a digital picture frame that requires an outlet or whether you would pay extra for a built-in battery. Then do the same for features like motion-sensor activation, WiFi capabilities, and the like. Do you need them, or are they irrelevant?

Style

You won’t be able to change out the color or size of your frame, so make sure it’s timeless.

Extra perks

When so many digital picture frames boast almost the exact same set of tools, it’s the additional features that really start to stand out. Think about those extra features—the motion-sensor activation, the background music, the weather reports—and decide which ones are make-or-break for you. Understanding your own preferences and priorities is the easiest way to weed out imperfect options and find the right frame for you.

FAQs

Final thoughts on the best digital picture frames

After looking at each of these five digital picture frames, we can clearly see that there are several options and priorities to consider before purchase. The capabilities and perks run the gamut, and so do the prices. But, compared to the other four options or simply viewed as a standalone product, the Aura Mason Luxe Smart Frame is unmatched. Combining high-tech features with an easy user experience and a chic design, this photo frame will stay useful—and beautiful—for years to come.

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.