REVIEW – Unless you’re old-school, the photos you take will most likely ride in your phone, seldom seeing the light of day. Get your pictures out of your pocket and into your living room with Nixplay photo frames!
What is it?
Nixplay’s 9.7-inch Smart Metal Photo Frame is a digital picture and video display screen controlled by a smartphone app and remote control.
Hardware Specs:
- Width: 8.78 inches (223mm)
- Height: 10.75 inches (273mm)
- Depth: 1.34 inches (34mm)
- Weight: 27.9oz (790g)
- Screen Resolution: 2048X1536; 2K
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Brightness: 350 cd/m2
- Supported Photo Format: JPEG / JPG
- 8GB memory
- 1GB RAM
- Sensors: Light sensor, Activity Sensor, G-Sensor.
- Speakers:2 x (2 W) Mono
- 11 b/g/n
- CE, ROHS, and UL certified
What’s in the Box?
- Photo frame with a detachable, flexible support arm
- Power supply
- RF (radio frequency) remote control
- Two AAA Batteries
- Manual
- Wall-mounting screws
- Wall-Mounting Guide
- Fingerprint Cloth
Design and Features:
I previously reviewed Nixplay’s 10.1-inch picture frame (here) and liked it so much, I volunteered to review their new, snazzy metal frame.
Nixplay’s Smart Photo Frame was well protected during its journey to my home.
On the back of the frame, the gooseneck support can be removed, providing access to a recessed power socket.
The power supply is a wall-wart style transformer. Unless you have a dual-gang box with a recessed plug hiding inside, mounting it on the wall will leave the power wire dangling.
The power connector plugs into the end of the gooseneck which supports the frame horizontally or vertically.
The frame bezel is on-so-shiny! Thoughtfully, Nixplay has included a microfiber cloth to clean away the inevitable fingerprints. I love the looks of this frame!
The remote is RF, meaning it does not need line-of-sight to the frame. I appreciate that the remote uses common AAA batteries.
Like its predecessor, after the initial power-up, the Nixplay requires a connection to a Wi-Fi network. It takes a few minutes to connect and update the software.
Since I already had a Nixplay account, I was able to add the frame to my existing account.
After the frame finished updating and was connected, the app can “look” for a connected frame and connect automatically. Alternatively, the serial number can be manually entered.
Creating a photo playlist is simple and can be accomplished using photos and videos from a smartphone or Google account. You can also make a “cloud album” playlist comprised of photos previously uploaded to Nixplay.
I created a new playlist and added photos. Nixplay’s app allows playlists to be loaded into single photo frames, or shared between multiple frames. Photos can only be uploaded 100 at a time. Loading about 900 pictures and videos took about 30 minutes on my home network and used 52% of the frame’s memory.
The frame automatically switches between portrait and landscape when oriented vertically or horizontally.
Transitions between photos, time intervals, and display options abound.
A slick function is that videos can be loaded to the frame remotely. This means that you can load your vacation pictures and videos onto grandma’s Nixplay photo frame so she can see your adventures without needing to text or email them to her.
Videos sent to the frame are clipped to 15 seconds. Nixplay offers a “Plus” service for $4.99 a month that offers 80% off hard-copy prints, 1-minute video clips, 50GB of cloud storage, extended warranty, and sharing of photos with friends and family over 10 frames.
The audio from the tiny speakers is weak, but I keep the volume off anyway.
The frame can be controlled equally well using the app or RF remote.
Like its sister, the metal frame also has magnetic storage for the remote control. I wish all appliances had this feature.
Nixplay is also Amazon compatible, but commends thus far are limited to, “Ask my frame to show me my [insert playlist name here] playlist” and similar.
The display can be configured to display the time, day, and date in the frame’s lower right corner and a larger font when the display is sleeping.
What I Like:
- Easy setup
- Ample memory
- Abundant configuration options
- Magnetic remote storage
- My photos are visible again!
What I Would Change:
- Maybe offer an in-wall power option for those wishing to hang their frame without wires hanging.
Final Thoughts:
Nixplay’s 9.7-inch digital photo frame is a winner! It is beautiful, the app is easy to use, and having an ever-changing kaleidoscope of bright, vibrant, crisp photos of my cherished loved ones and memories is heartwarming and comforting, particularly while keeping socially distanced. Nixplay photo frames are easily in my top gadgets for 2020!
Price: $329.99
Where to buy: Nixplay and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nixplay.
