Aura Digital Photo Frame review: WiFi-enabled photo frame for any home

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I didn't think I needed a digital photo frame until I set up the Aura Digital Photo Frame. Now my husband and I can't imagine living without it.

The sleek digital frame has a ton of modern features and connects easily to your smartphone. You can also connect your frame to your friends' and families' phones, so they can add photos for a curated gallery.

Currently $249 on Amazon, it's not cheap but it is a high-quality, premium digital frame with modern features — and it's perfect for Father's Day.

Despite the fact that my iCloud account is filled with endless photos of my two young children and Hungarian Vizsla (and occasionally my husband), I recently noticed that there were no current photos displayed around my home.

After all, I have about zero extra minutes at the end of the day to print and frame photos.

I decided to give the Aura Digital Photo Frame a shot, as I remembered seeing the brand on Oprah's Favorite Things list two separate years. And as usual, the queen of media recommended a winner.

Specs

I will first offer the disclaimer that I am not super tech-savvy, so when my Aura arrived in the mail, I procrastinated setting it up for a few days out of intimidation. But when I finally decided to unbox it, I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of it and the bare-bones tech skills needed to get it working.

The Aura frame comes beautifully housed in a sturdy blue box, giving it an instant “this gadget is fancy” look. Inside the box, you'll find the frame, stand, AC adapter, and instruction booklet.

The frame is available in two styles. The sleek Modern version costs $249 and comes in three color choices — Slate, Stardust, and Stone. There's also a limited edition Wood style for $399, handcrafted out of rich walnut and trimmed with brass. There's a Quartz version too, but it seems to only be available on Amazon through a third-party seller.

My husband and I have the Wood version and we were surprised by how gorgeous it was right out of the box. Most digital frames I've seen are very sterile looking, but the Aura has a warmth and design quality that is aesthetically pleasing and would impress the most discerning customer — such as your dad.

The Modern and Wood are quite similar in size and each weighs a little more than three pounds. Here are the major specs:

Modern: 9.7 HD Display, 2048 x 1536 resolution, 12.5 x 10.7 x 3.7 inches

Wood: 9.7 HD Display, 2048 x 1536 resolution, 14.1 x 11.5 x 3.7 inches

Both: Wi-Fi-enabled, can add photos from iOS and Android app, unlimited storage, includes motion and light sensor, includes facial recognition software

Getting started with the Aura frame

The Aura is incredibly easy to use and comes with simple instructions.

Start by downloading the app on iOS or Android, and then figure out where you'd want to put the frame around your house. There's a small frame stand if you want to prop it upright on a table or shelf, which is what I opted to do, otherwise you can hang it on the wall.

Keep in mind though that the frame will have to be plugged into an outlet via micro USB port, so if you do hang it, there'll be a visible cord — unless you have a cord management system in place.

After plugging in the frame, just turn it on and open the app on your phone or tablet. Once your frame is powered up and connected to Wi-Fi, and the app is installed, create an account and start uploading photos.

The process of adding photos is seriously as simple — and similar — as sending it to your family group chat. The photos will start popping up in your frame instantly and you'll probably be stunned by how vibrant and gorgeous they look — I know we were. Some photos might require a little bit of cropping, but if you have basic Instagram photo editing skills, you'll be fine.

What makes it stand out

One thing I love is that the Aura holds an unlimited amount of photos. You can leave the frame to display just one image almost like a computer screensaver, or have it rotate through your photos at the speed of your choice — which is great for showing your in-laws or grandparents cute family photos.

You can also create collections of photos (for instance, galleries of specific people or events) or take advantage of the facial recognition ability and use filters to eliminate photos that aren't great quality, contain nudity, or duplicates already in the mix.

But you don't have to curate that whole photo album yourself either. The frame is interactive so you can invite family members to shared albums, giving them access to display your photos on their frames, and vice versa. If you have parents that aren't tech-savvy, this is a brilliant concept. Imagine being able to just transport all those photos of your kids onto their screen with the touch of a button.

If you have more than one frame, you can also name each one in the app and choose which photos get splashed onto which screens throughout your home, office, or even your parents' house.

There's also a very useful energy saving “sleep” and “wake up” modes. Basically, when the room where the frame is hung or placed goes dark, the frame shuts off to save energy. Additionally, there is an auto-dimming feature, which enables the screen to self-adjust according to the lighting in the room.

Cons to consider

So far, I've had zero issues with my Aura itself, but the biggest issue is the price.

The Modern model starts at $249, so it's not a cheap gadget by any means. But keep in mind that most high-quality tech items are investments, and that with the Aura, at least in my experience, you're getting what you pay for. You might be able to find a cheaper digital frame, but it might not look as streamlined, function as flawlessly, or even have such cool features like the Aura.

The bottom line

The Aura is a great digital frame, and you — or your dad — won't be disappointed.

Dads love cool gadgets, especially ones that show off his beautiful fur children. He also probably has a bunch of ties, socks, and cufflinks, but he might not have a cool digital frame like this. It'll help eliminate the clutter of multiple frames around the house or office, and help keep his collection of family photos updated and fresh. There's also the added bonus that you can send photos to his collection whenever you want — even if you live thousands of miles away.

But, if you have any concerns or the Aura doesn't meet Dad's expectations, take ease knowing it comes with a one-year manufacturing warranty and if you buy the frame through one of the Amazon Prime options, you're backed by its generous return policy too.

As for the price, it's not cheap, so if it's out of your price range, you should check out the Nixplay Seed for $149.99, another highly-rated digital frame on Amazon.

Pros: Looks sleek, great resolution, easy to set up and use, ability to photos across connected units

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Aura Digital Photo Frame in Modern on Amazon for $249

Buy the Aura Digital Photo Frame in Walnut Wood on Bloomingdale's for $399