I’ve tested a whole heap of digital photo frames over my time as Reviews Editor at TechRadar. Out of the many product categories I test, they’re a personal highlight. Not only am I an enthusiastic – albeit firmly amateur – photographer, it gives me a chance to test out some truly fantastic frames and assess their capabilities first hand. So I’m always on the hunt for great Black Friday deals on photo frames.
It’s not easy to whittle down my favorites. But, if I had to, my personal recommendation for most people would be either the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame or the Aura Aspen. These small-sized frames both offer stunning performance at the cost of $159.99 / £149.99 and $229 / £219 respectively, making them accessible for most people.
And with early Black Friday deals already starting to appear, I’m predicting that you’re going to see even better offers on these frames over the coming weeks. Based on past sale prices, I’m betting they’ll come down even further, with the Pexar likely to hit previous lows of $115.99 / £113.98 and the Aspen hopefully being reduced to $199 in the US.
So how should you decide between them? Having thoroughly tested both of these frames on their release, I can tell you exactly how they measure up in every metric. Whether your biggest priority is stunningly detailed, vibrant images, innovative functionality or gorgeous design, I’ve broken down how the Pexar and Aura compare. So if you want my tip for the best photo frame bargain you’re likely to see this Black Friday, read on.
Features
Built upon the flexible and friendly photo frame app Frameo, the Pexar is super easy to load with your photos. While you’re limited to uploading a max of 10 images at a time – unless you upgrade to the $1.99 / £0.99 a month Frameo+ subscription – selecting your images and adding captions is a breeze. You can also set a focal point that should stay in the picture no matter which orientation you sit it in, although this does occasionally frame things oddly.
By contrast, the Aura Aspen offers a much wider range of features. Its app offers unlimited uploads, which made bulk-sending my images much easier, although it offers no way of manually aligning or cropping your images for the frame.
There are heaps of innovative touches with the Aspen, whether that’s a touch-capacitive bar for swiping through your images, optional auto-coloration for black and white images or the ability to snap photos in the app to ‘scan’ physical photos. Admittedly, I find the latter two of these a bit gimmicky – retouched colors rarely lived up to the vibrancy of the real life scenes I was shooting, while the latter did nothing my phone camera couldn’t already do – but at least Aura is thinking outside the box with these.
Performance
When it comes to performance, I actually find the cheaper Pexar to be the more impressive of the two. First off, its smaller size and true 2K resolution means it offers an incredibly crisp 212 PPI pixel density, making all of my photos look exquisitely detailed. Meanwhile, colors are always gorgeously rendered, whether subtler earth tones or fall leaves in riot of greens, yellows, ambers and vermillion. And its matte, glare-free screen just eats up any reflections or direct sunlight, which makes it far easier for me to enjoy my pictures.
The Aura Aspen is still a prodigious performer though. Every hue in my photos looked vibrant without ever appearing oversaturated, perfectly pitching the mauve petals of crocuses in spring and the speckled salmon of the interior of rhododendron blooms. While its 170ppi pixel density can’t quite rival the Pexar’s, I was always impressed with the crystal clarity of its images – although it struggles a little with shallow focus and bokeh, overly sharpening it to the point at which there seem to be subtle ringing artefacts.
Design
Inevitably, given its higher price point, design and build quality is where the Aura Aspen shines most. Its matte 1.4-inch (35mm) bezels have a paper-like texture that allows it to convincingly mimic mounting board, while its slim frame doesn’t hog too much of the view, allowing your photos to be the star of the show. Finally, it’s sturdily built; it always felt robust and reliable whenever I handled it, while its arrowhead-shaped stand is rock solid, slotting into place in either orientation with a solid thunk.
Conversely, the Pexar offers a more humble design, with a simpler matte mount and subtle textured plastic frame. Despite this though, I’ve always been impressed with how well-made it is, and it still really pops in any space I display it in – thanks in no small part to that super detailed, hi-res screen. Switching orientations is also easy here, as all you need to do is pop out the magnetic stand and pop it back in at a 90-degree angle, with the picture automatically swiveling to match.
Value
There’s really two things to consider when weighing up the value of each of these digital photo frames.
First off, their respective list prices. The Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame retails for $159.99 / £149.99, whereas the Aura Aspen goes for $229 / £219. Personally, I find the cheaper Pexar more compelling, even before you consider its higher pixel density and better handling of soft focus. Yes, the Aspen has a more premium-feeling design and more innovative features but, for sheer picture quality, the Pexar offers amazing bang for your buck.
But that doesn’t give you the whole picture – as I say, I’m prepared to bet that both of these frames will come down in price for Black Friday. I wouldn’t pay any more than their previous lowest prices: $115.99 / £113.98 for the Pexar and $199 for the Aspen. Even setting aside the fact that the Aspen’s had no discounts in the UK to date, these reductions further emphasize in my mind what a bargain the Pexar frame is, giving it the absolute upper hand when it comes to value.
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josh.russell@futurenet.com (Josh Russell)
