Are 4K digital picture frames worth buying in 2022?
We don’t recommend buying 4K digital picture frames in 2022. While we might be used to the high-resolution displays of modern TVs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, using 4K displays on digital frames is over-the-top. Additionally, due to the high cost of these panels, their display is often quite small, and many features & functions have to be sacrificed to keep the frame’s price competitive.
Commonly sacrificed features include free-for-life cloud storage, video playback, access to an intuitive mobile app or web dashboard, ease of use, and internal storage space. A digital frame with a 1024×768 10-inch display isn’t going to look much different from a couple of feet away when compared to a 2K or 4K digital frame. This is an important consideration when wall mounting as the higher price tag doesn’t necessarily come with an equivalent boost in versatility or functionality.
We suggest sticking with top digital frames like the Pix-Star as they are much more versatile and offer a wide range of user-friendly features. They’re great for elderly users and arguably the best value for money frames for the viewing experience and real-world performance they offer – but more on Pix-Star’s frames down below.
Does Pix-Star sell 4K digital picture frames?
Pix-Star doesn’t sell 4K digital picture frames. They found the resolution sweet spot (1024×768) – along with most other premium frames – that offers excellent value for money while still providing an immersive and natural viewing experience. This results in the Pix-Star frame being one of the most versatile premium frames on the market.
You get rather unique features like free-for-life cloud storage, fluid & smooth interfaces, video & audio playback support, automatic cloud backups, access to both a mobile app & web interface, importing photos from social media & photo-sharing sites, and remotely controlling & managing up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from anywhere in the world.
Pix-Star’s digital photo frames use a 4:3 aspect ratio (perfectly matches the 4:3 aspect ratio that most smartphones capture photos in) and offer manually adjustable brightness & color settings. You have tons of slideshow customizations that give you control over the play order & frequency of photos. You can create personalized slideshows from selected files & folders, and even remotely start slideshows from specific slideshows – no matter where you are in the world.
The Pix-Star frame comes with either a 10-inch display or a much larger 15-inch display. Both models pack in the same feature set, with the 15-inch digital frame quickly growing in popularity. Pix-Star’s frames can be easily wall-mounted as they support using a standard VESA mount and come with dedicated hanging holes. There’s also a robust attachable stand for resting the frame sturdily on any flat surface.
Pix-Star was the brand that created the idea of giving a digital picture frame a unique email address for wirelessly receiving photos from anywhere in the world. These are arguably the most versatile frames on the market and one of the best overall value-for-money choices available. They’re also one of the only premium digital frames that cater specifically to both families & elderly users.
Can 4K digital picture frames use touch displays?
The main concern with touch-capable digital frames is their cost – especially when dealing with display panels larger than 8-inches and those with higher resolutions. For example, a 10-inch touch-capable display comes with a massive leap in price when compared with 10-inch non-touch panels; whereas the leap isn’t too significant with 7-inch panels.
4K digital picture frames already use a lot of the frame’s available budget on the display. This is why frames like the Aura digital frames are comparatively feature-poor when compared to top digital frames like the Pix-Star (despite having high-resolution displays). To waste more of the frame’s budget on touch-capable displays would result in even more features & functions being sacrificed – leading to a digital frame that struggles to find a place on the market.
Can I use a TV as a 4K digital picture frame?
Due to the very high price of 4K digital picture frames (especially for digital art frames), you’ll often find that 4K Smart TVs aren’t much more expensive. It’s one of the main reasons that we think 4K digital frames don’t offer the greatest value for money – especially when compared to the features & functionality of top frames like the Pix-Star.
Using a TV or monitor as a digital frame is a decent alternative to buying a pricey 4K digital frame (which can cost close to 4-figures in some cases). They’re not a great alternative to standard (non-4K) digital frames like the Pix-Star due to their significantly higher price and very limited feature set (not to mention that they can be very hard to use).
There are a couple of points worth noting when using a 4K TV as a digital slideshow frame. Firstly, slideshow controls are extremely limited and very difficult to set up. You can’t easily import photos from social media or photo-sharing sites, and USB/SD cards are typically hard to navigate (and there isn’t much internal storage space). You don’t have any control over the play order & frequency of photos either.
Another major concern is the aspect ratio of the display. Digital frames like the Pix-Star use a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is far better suited to photo slideshows than the 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio of TV displays. The result is that most photos won’t use the full display and will often be surrounded by black pillar bars.
Can 4K digital picture frames play movies?
4K digital picture frames are not designed to replace your TV or laptop – despite costing just about the same in many cases. These frames are simply made to display selected photos and videos in customizable slideshows – using an enhanced display and immersion to boost the viewing experience.
While some of these digital frames can play video files, they’re almost always limited by length, format, and/or file size. For example, Pix-Star’s frames are some of the most versatile digital frames for video support. You can play 2-minute video clips (more than almost every other frame on the market), send video files via the mobile app or USB/SD card, and even include videos in slideshows (they can be set to play muted if you’d like).
Playing movies or streaming long videos is beyond the scope of what digital frames are designed for. The ability to do this would put them in direct competition with TVs, laptops, and even smartphones – which isn’t the goal. Top digital frames like the Pix-Star know this and, as such, focus on versatile slideshows, immersion, remote control, and ease of use.
