Aura's Aspen digital photo frame features a bigger, better screen, but it'll cost you

If you've ever tried to buy a digital photo frame, you likely know the market is full of bad products. Aura's frames are an exception — they're well-designed, have great screens, the software is easy to use and there are no subscription upsells. Today, the company is diversifying its lineup with the new Aspen frame, which sits comfortably between the 10-inch Carver frame and 15-inch Walden option.

With an 11.8-inch, 1,600 x 1,200 display, it's larger and has a significantly higher resolution than the 10.1-inch Carver Mat frame (my current pick for the best digital frame on the market). That display has built-in light sensors to adjust brightness depending on the environment that does a good job of keeping it from feeling like you're staring at a monitor or tablet — the viewing experience on these frames is definitely more subtle. It also has a removable stand that lets you set the frame up in either portrait or landscape orientation; the Carver Mat's larger and thicker base means it can only be set up in landscape. Because the stand is removable, the Aspen is much thinner and lighter than I expected.

But its more svelte dimensions don't come at the expense of structural integrity. I've tested a bunch of frames with removable stands so they can be aligned in portrait or landscape, and basically all of them have stands that are flimsy, ugly or both. The Aspen's stand, on the other hand, feels impressively solid and well-engineered. 

The Carver line of frames featured a touch bar for swiping through photographs or adjusting how fast it moves between images. On the Aspen there's two, so the controls are easily accessible no matter which orientation it's in. Getting photos onto the Aspen requires using Aura's app, but it again is probably the best digital photo frame app I've used. It's pretty simple to sync specific images and albums from your phone and you can also add photos by sending them to a specific email address you can set up. 

There are a few new software tricks in the app now, too. You can add a text caption to any image you've uploaded to the frame that'll display when the picture comes up, and you can also filter by people on the app now. Aura says that all facial processing is done on-device. The app otherwise integrates easily with Apple / iCloud Photos and Google Photos.

The Aspen is on sale today for $229 and comes in either ink black or clay white; both have a subtly textured white mat surrounding the image. That's a good bit more than the $179 Carver Mat — but a bigger, higher-resolution screen, smaller footprint and the flexibility of going portrait or landscape may be worth it. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/auras-aspen-digital-photo-frame-features-a-bigger-better-screen-but-itll-cost-you-132728549.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/home/auras-aspen-digital-photo-frame-features-a-bigger-better-screen-but-itll-cost-you-132728549.html?src=rss
Vytvořeno 3d | 16. 4. 2025 14:10:07


Chcete-li přidat komentář, přihlaste se

Ostatní příspěvky v této skupině

Here are the coolest cars at New York International Auto Show 2025

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), and despite concerns over tariffs, there are still a lot of manufacturers here showing off new models includin

18. 4. 2025 21:40:18 | Engadget
Google is trying to get college students hooked on AI with a free year of Gemini Advanced

Under no circumstances should you let AI do your schoolwork for you, but Google has decided to make that option a little bit easier for the next year. The company is

18. 4. 2025 21:40:17 | Engadget
The Apple Sports app now lets users create and share game cards

The Apple Sports app just introduced a new feature called Game Card Sharing. This lets users generate digital game cards that carry information about a specific match. The cards can be generated fo

18. 4. 2025 19:20:15 | Engadget
Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with a gigantic tower of gas and dust

As part of their ongoing celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope's

18. 4. 2025 19:20:14 | Engadget
The rhythm-infused adventure Unbeatable has a new demo for PC and PS5

In the latest evidence that indie games are often where you find the boldest creative choices, look no further than Unbeatable. The hand‑drawn rhythm adventure title — announced in 2020 an

18. 4. 2025 19:20:12 | Engadget
The Kia EV4 makes its US debut at the 2025 New York Auto Show

Kia's first all-electric sedan, the 2026 EV4, is making its official debut in the US at the

18. 4. 2025 17:10:15 | Engadget