The 5 Best Digital Picture Frames of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Aura Mason Digital Picture Frame

$200 at Walmart $199 at The Container Store $200 at kohls.com

Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Display
  5/5
• Features
  4.8/5
• Value
  4.5/5

After testing a dozen digital picture frames for the equivalent of about 55 days, the Aura Mason earns our recommendation for the best digital picture frame because it's very simple to set up, streamlines the process of selecting and uploading photos, and offers unlimited cloud storage, so you’ll never run out of space to add new photos. It also stands out, in our experience, as the best digital picture frame for displaying video content—playing 30-second clips of your moving memories. 

The frame itself has a sleek, attractive design that looks like any other picture frame you might have on display in your house. Like all other digital picture frames, it has the added benefit of displaying a carousel of your favorite moments rather than a static picture, but doesn’t have a tech-like appearance that many digital options do. It seamlessly connected to our home Wi-Fi network by means of establishing a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone (after connecting, the frame relies on Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, to function), and we had it set up within minutes. 

During testing, we were quickly impressed with how intuitive it was to add and manage photos within the Aura app. As long as you grant access to the app to access your camera roll, you can select as many photos or videos as you would like. The app automatically grays out the photos you’ve already added, too—a convenient touch that other frames didn’t include, we found—so you don’t wind up seeing duplicate photos of last summer’s vacation. The sharing option, which we loved exploring, also lets you invite family or friends to send photos to your digital frame and receive a notification within the app each time they add a new picture.

The resolution is 1,600 x 1,200 with 221 pixels per inch and a 4:3 aspect ratio, but if that sounds overly technical, here’s the bottom line: the display was very clear and the photos displayed so beautifully in high-resolution. Even if an uploaded photo didn’t match the frame’s orientation (it can be set up as a portrait or landscape display), the app did an excellent job of compensating and every picture filled the frame, thanks to the 4:3 aspect ratio, which is optimized for photos taken on a smartphone.  

While we think this is also the best digital picture frame for videos in your camera roll, we wish that there was an on-off switch for the built-in speaker on the frame. During testing, we found the default setting is for audio to be turned off, so if you want to watch a video clip with sound, you have to manually turn the sound on and then replay the clip. And while the app impressed us with its user-friendly features, we wish there was an option to create albums so you can just select which album you want displayed. 

All that said, this photo frame really has it all, and is up to regular use from a busy household: even after being tipped over during use and landing face-down on the table, the Aura Mason Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame showed no signs of damage. 

_{Dimensions: 9.7 x 2 x 7.6 inches | Frame Size: 9 inches | Resolution: 1,600 x 1,200 pixels | Amount of Storage: Unlimited}

Best Value

Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)

$130 at Amazon $130 at Home Depot $60 at kohls.com

Our Ratings

• Setup
  4.2/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Display
  5/5
• Features
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

The best digital picture frames display your photo memories, but the Echo Show adds value to your purchase with its suite of features and helpful actions. With Amazon Alexa built in, we felt as if there was no end to the functionality of this device; we used it to set timers, watch our TV shows, listen to podcasts, and yes, display a carousel of our favorite pictures. 

The setup was the most complicated part of using the Echo Show 8. If you’re fairly tech-savvy or familiar with using Echo devices, it’s fairly intuitive, but the device does a poor job of guiding you through the setup process—probably because it’s not designed exclusively to be a digital photo frame. You’ll need to download two apps to manage the process (the Amazon Alexa app to sync the Echo to your phone, and then the Amazon Photos app to sync the photos from your phone to the Echo). Nearly every other digital picture frame we tested just relied on a single app (the Google Nest Hub, our best hub pick that we’ll get into below, also requires downloading two apps). 

Although it was a longer setup process, and the app tried to capture all of our photos and videos automatically (you can stop that from happening and add photos manually), it ultimately was not enough of a nuisance to override the appeal of this model, though. You get 5 GB of free storage space for photos and videos, and Amazon Prime members get unlimited photo storage, plus 5 GB of video storage as well.

We especially like that you can invite others to add photos to your albums within the Amazon Photos app—whether or not they have the app on their device. Speaking of friends and family, the Echo Show 8 has a built-in camera, so if a photo sparks your desire to connect in real-time, you can start a video call with other Echo users. There are countless apps you can download to the device for entertainment or information, too, and the touchscreen makes it easy to use and navigate all of them. 

The 8-inch display shows pictures in clear, crisp detail but only offers a landscape orientation sadly; you can’t turn the device to portrait mode like you can with others, including our overall favorite, the Aura Mason. We didn’t find this to be a major inconvenience during testing, but it could limit your placement options if you have limited surface area for a digital photo frame. In addition, the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) also looks much more like a technological device than a conventional photo frame, but that’s to be expected of a feature-packed Amazon product.

_{Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 3.9 inches | Frame Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1,280 x 800 pixels | Amount of Storage: 5 GB (unlimited photo storage and 5 GB video storage for Amazon Prime members)}

Best Hub

Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen

$89 at Amazon $100 at Home Depot $60 at Walmart

Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Display
  5/5
• Features
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

The Google Nest Hub impressed us during testing with its high-resolution display of our favorite photos and videos and its usefulness as a smart home hub. For a single device that can control your smart home and put your memories on display, it’s hard to beat. 

In our experience, the Google Nest Hub is super simple to set up. Out of the box, we had it very quickly connected to Wi-Fi and ready for use in less than 15 minutes, and uploading photos only took about five more minutes using the Google Photos app (like the Echo Show, you’ll also need a second app for this product for uploading photos, the Google Nest app). Within the app, you’re able to change the photos or album on display; we also appreciated that you can invite others to download the app and contribute to a shared album—making this pick great for families who like to share photos of grandchildren in a group chat or long-distance friends. For storage space, 15 GB of storage is provided by Google for all files associated with your account. That means how much space you have for photos and videos depends on how many other files you’re storing under the same Google account, which isn’t ideal if you’re an avid Google Drive user.

However, the hub, as we mentioned, is great for controlling your entire smart home, from smart thermostats and lights to locks. It also supports functions such as streaming television shows or music. We especially found it handy to connect it to a Roku device and nearby smart lamps. The touchscreen makes it simple to swipe through the many features of this smart device and, within the Google Home app, you can customize the screen’s display to show options like your photos, the time, or the weather. 

Being a digital picture frame hub, it doesn’t come as a surprise that this option looks so much like a tech device. If you’re looking for a more traditional frame style, other options might be a better fit—at the expense of smart features. As it is, we think that the Google Nest Hub has an attractive minimalistic design and we didn’t find it to be an eyesore. It’s worth noting that it only offers landscape display options; it can’t be turned vertical to support a portrait mode display. 

_{Dimensions: 7.0 x 4.7 x 2.7 inches | Frame Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1,024 x 600 pixels | Amount of Storage: 15 GB (shared with all file types in your Google account)}

Best for Gifting

Aura Carver Digital Picture Frame

$145 at Walmart $179 at The Container Store $149 at Bloomingdales

Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Display
  5/5
• Features
  5/5
• Value
  4.8/5

If you’re thinking about gifting a digital picture frame to your grandparent, parent (who may also be a grandparent), best friend, or another person in your life, look no further than this pick: the Aura Carver. The frame is high-quality, it offers unlimited storage, and you can also preload the frame with photos and a special message to the recipient, making it a real treat to open and set up. While the frame’s quality and features are a big reason we think it’s the ideal gift, we were especially pleased with how easy it is to use the frame, too. 

Compared to digital photo frames we used in the past that were laggy, this one makes it very simple to upload photos using the Aura app or a link, which can also be used to invite friends and family to contribute to the photo frame. Although the initial setup took slightly longer than other frames we tested (20 minutes for the Aura Carver versus only six minutes for other options), the process still seemed intuitive and user-friendly. With those factors in mind, we can confidently recommend this for someone in your life who’s maybe not super tech-savvy.

While using the Aura Carver Digital Picture Frame, we tested out the sharing feature and loved receiving photos from family members. All images displayed brightly on the screen and also with clear and bright resolution, but it should be noted that the 150 pixels-per-inch resolution is lower than the resolution of the Aura Mason (our best overall). The design of the Carver frame limits it to landscape orientation, too. That being said, portrait photos will still be shown; they’re just paired together and displayed side-by-side. Like the Aura Mason, this digital picture frame also supports video display and we had no complaints about the quality or resolution of our videos. 

_{Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.3 x 2.1 inches | Frame Size: 10.1 inches | Resolution: 1,280 x 800 pixels | Amount of Storage: Unlimited}

We Also Like

Aeezo Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame

$100 at Amazon View on Aeezo.com

Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Display
  4.6/5
• Features
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

The AEEZO Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame is an attractive, versatile pick for displaying your digital memories, and another great choice that we tested and easily loved. Our favorite feature of this frame is that it has a white border, resembling the appearance of a traditional and matted photo frame. The full, high-definition touchscreen displays photos in 2K resolution as well—the highest resolution of any digital picture frame we tested. Aside from still images, this frame also displays video clips and has a built-in speaker, although we found the volume for videos to be noticeably quieter than the volume level for frame notifications.

Setting up the frame and navigating its options was fast and simple, with multiple options to upload photos by means of an app or SD card. It was also fun to invite friends and family to contribute to the frame (they’ll need to download the app and have a security code generated from the frame). However, unlike some digital photo frames on our list, such as the Aura Mason (our best overall) or Aura Carver (our best for gifting), this frame doesn’t offer unlimited storage.

That being said, it does have 16 GB of storage space. The biggest downside is management of your photos and videos. You can only delete or hide photos by navigating through the album on the frame; there’s no option to remove photos using the app. That’s a feature we really liked on several of our other top, tested digital picture frames, including the Google Nest Hub, but it will come down to personal preference on whether that’s a deal-breaker for you or not. In our eyes, the easy navigation of this frame and attractive, yet unique, appearance were enough.

_{Dimensions: 9.45 x 7.48 x 0.79 inches | Frame Size: 10 inches | Resolution: 2,048 x 1,536 pixels | Amount of Storage: 16 GB}