Seeing art being housed in a tacky plastic frame isn't ideal. So it's great to see that today's best digital photo frames look much nicer than that.
To select my favourites, I've focused not just on looks but also how easy they are to set up, the quality of the display, how much storage they offer, and how much this is all going to cost you.
Be aware – these are back-lit digital photo frames, and so they will emit a light, especially noticeable when your room gets darker. If you don't want that light source, go read my list of the best e-ink art frames, which act more like paper, and come to life when a light source is directed at them.
My top pick of the digital photo frames right now is the Aura Carver (10.1"), thanks to its unlimited free cloud storage, vibrant screen and lack of subscription. I've also included a budget option, an e-ink model and a frame that also comes with speakers.
The best digital frame overall
The Aura Carver pairs a crisp, vibrant panel with free, unlimited cloud storage and zero subscription fees. Setup is painless, and Aura's gift mode lets you preload photos and a welcome message, which makes it a strong choice as a present for others.
Because it only displays in landscape, vertical shots get paired up side by side rather than shown full-screen, and how well that pairing works depends on whether you sort photos chronologically or let the app try to match them by subject. Video playback is a nice bonus but can look a little choppy on loading, so this is best thought of as a frame for photos first and video a distant second.
Those niggles aside, though, this remains one of the easiest frames to set up and just leave running, which is exactly what most people want from one.
The best budget digital frame
The Frameo 10.1" delivers solid colours, easy-to-use touch controls, and seamless photo and short-video sharing via the widely supported Frameo ecosystem, all for well under $80. That makes it the easiest frame on this list to recommend if price is the deciding factor.
The touchscreen is responsive enough that even less tech-confident relatives can swipe through a gallery without help, and because Frameo is used across several other budget frame brands too, families don't need everyone to own the same hardware to send photos over.
The 16GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD, is enough for tens of thousands of photos, and short video clips add a bit of life to the slideshow without needing a subscription. One issue reported by some, though, is that auto-rotate doesn't always catch a photo's orientation correctly.
The best e-ink digital frame
The Reflection Frame uses e-ink to display photos as if they've been printed out. It reflects ambient room light just like physical paper or a canvas print, running for months on a single charge without a power cord hanging down the wall, which sets it apart from every other frame on this list.
Updating the image is done by tapping your phone to a corner of the frame over NFC and Bluetooth, so there's no Wi-Fi setup, no account, and nothing uploaded to a cloud server unless you choose to.
The trade-off for that calm, print-like look is that Spectra 6 e-ink can't match an LCD panel for vibrancy: colours lean more toward a fine-art print than a bright tablet screen, and swapping the image takes a few seconds rather than being instant. It's also a manual experience rather than a family-sharing hub, since there's no remote slideshow or always-on connection.
The best digital frame if money is no object
The Meural Canvas II is designed specifically for fine art. The patented TrueArt display technology diffuses light to mimic real paint textures and adjusts backlighting for a clean, anti-glare finish, and its optional $69.95-a-year membership grants access to a library of more than 30,000 artworks.
The wood-finished frame snaps on and off in seconds without tools, and because the whole unit can be mounted vertically or horizontally, it adapts to more walls than the fixed-orientation frames on this list.
The app makes everyday use of your own photos straightforward, with simple controls for cropping, scheduling and displaying individual images. Where it can still be a chore is loading a large batch of photos in one go, since there's no bulk "select all" option. It's also worth pointing out that the fixed 16:9 aspect ratio also doesn't suit the 3:2 or 4:3 ratios most cameras and phones actually shoot in, so expect some cropping or letterboxing.
The best art TV
The Hisense Canvas TV S7N offers a painterly art display experience that rivals Samsung's Frame TV while being much cheaper. The price includes an UltraSlim mount and a teak wood magnetic bezel. An anti-reflective matte finish helps to eliminate glare, and built-in motion and light sensors allow you to toggle Art Mode when you enter the room. All without asking for a subscription the way Samsung's Frame TV does.
As a TV itself it's not perfect: HDR content can suffer from shallow black levels and soft detail next to Samsung's rival. On the plus side, it's a capable, high refresh-rate set for gaming, and its price relative to Frame TV, plus the included frame and art library, make it excellent value overall.
The best audio-visual hybrid frame
The Samsung Music Frame features a high-fidelity wireless speaker system – six drivers in total, with support for Dolby Atmos – behind a photo or artwork. Streaming support is extensive, covering AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect alongside Bluetooth, and setup through Samsung's SmartThings app takes less than a minute once you have an account.
That said, the sound quality isn't perfect: reviewers found it gets loud and fills a room, but the more volume you push, the muddier and less detailed it becomes, lacking the dynamic contrast that similarly priced standalone speakers deliver. Also, while swapping the front artwork is easy enough, only images that fit an 8x8 inch square will display properly.
