For many people, the iPhone serves as their main camera, and the images captured with the device are often on smartphones, computers, and social networks. Printing photos for display requires the hassle of ordering additional hardware or online and waiting for photos to arrive.
Aura Frames aims to make your photos more accessible through digital picture frames, which connect to the power and chakras through photos and videos taken with your iPhone. Aura has a range of frames available at different price points, but this review focuses on the Mason, which offers a nine-inch HD display.
At $199, the Mason isn’t cheap, but there are lower-priced options, and Aura sells them around the holidays. The Mason has an HD display (1600×1200) that isn’t as high-quality as the 2K displays offered on some high-end models, but it has the versatility to be used in portrait or landscape mode, which is a plus.
Essentially Mason is an LED display inside a picture frame, and it connects to your WiFi network and plugs in to show a rotating selection of images you choose. The frame measures 9.7 inches tall by 7.6 inches wide and is about two inches thick, so it’s not too far off from an oversized 8×10 photo frame you might have on your desk or bookshelf. It’s roughly two inches, but that allows it to stand on its own.
Setup is all about plugging it in and using the Aura app to connect to WiFi and it’s a fairly painless process. Note that you need a 2.4GHz network as it is not compatible with 5GHz, which is a downside. Sometimes trying to set up on a mixed 2.4GHz/5GHz network can be a hassle that requires some troubleshooting, but it was seamless for me.
Since it’s an LED display, it needs constant power, so you’ll need to set it up near an outlet and deal with a cable. It has a proprietary cable that attaches to the back and the braided cord is a good length so you’ll be able to set it up almost anywhere. It also comes with cable management clips so you can tuck any extra cords you don’t need into the back of the frame and neatly wrap them up. There’s a speaker in the frame for video content, and while it’s not the best speaker I’ve heard, it’s decent enough. I personally don’t care for the sound, so I turned it off.
Above and to the side of the frame, there are touch-based controls to swap photos with a swipe, skip a photo from a slideshow, or delete a photo. Videos can be set to play automatically and it’s worth noting that Live Photos will also animate The frame tries to center the subject of an image and will zoom in on images that are in the wrong orientation or add black bars to the sides. Sometimes the framing is off, but it can be adjusted. Photos can also display information about where they were captured, which is useful for vacation photos
Using Aura requires an iOS device running iOS 13 or later, or it works with an Android device using Android 5.0 or later. The cross-platform functionality is great because it means everyone in the family can contribute photos to Aura by downloading the Aura app.
In the app, you can see each connected aura in the sidebar and have the option to set it up for yourself or someone else. I’ve used both workflows, and for a gift, it’s easier because you can add photos to it before it’s given to the person using a special code.
You can invite multiple people to contribute photos to an Aura frame, and all they have to do is download the aura app and create an account. Each person in the family can have an Aura frame, for example, and put pictures in frames owned by other family members. I gifted a frame to my mother-in-law, and set it up so that six people can add pictures of family members, kids, pets, and more.
In the frame I’m testing, it’s set up so I can add images and the image process is simple. You just tap the “Add Photo” option and go through your camera roll to decide what to upload. Note that between selecting the photo and tapping the upload option, there is no preview feature, so don’t make the wrong click. I’d like to see an option to preview what you’re about to upload, especially someone else’s frame.
You can view all photos uploaded to an Aura frame that you have access to, whether they’re your own or owned by a friend or family member. For any uploaded image, you can change the location or select the “Show Now” button, which displays it directly.
In the Settings section, you can adjust when each photo is displayed, change the photo order from shuffle to chronological and vice versa, adjust video autoplay settings, and choose a photo background for when photos don’t take up the entire display.
Choose when a device is on, adjust speaker volume, and a remote control function shows what’s currently in the frame so you can swap photos or remove the current photo. These controls are available for any frames you have access to, even if you don’t own them.
All upload activity is shown in an activity feed, and if you have a frame owned by more than one person, you’ll occasionally see a warning that you have photos from the same period that you can add to the frame, which is a useful addition.
bottom line
Testing Aura for this review is the first time I’ve used one myself, but I’ve given them as gifts to family members in the past, so I’ve been familiar with the product for a long time. Everyone who has an aura or sees an aura seems to be a fan of it and I’ve found it makes a great gift.
Aura requires minimal technical experience to use, so it works for all ages and if someone can’t figure out how to use the frame, family members are able to upload photos. Multiple Aura Frames make for a fun way to share photos between friends and family.
I’ve appreciated having Aura on my desk for the past few weeks because it gives me a way to regularly look at my favorite photos without having to print them or go to the Photos app to look at them. In the future, I think it would be nice for Aura to add organization and different slideshow options like the Apple Photos app, but even in its current incarnation, Aura is one of the best ways to display digital images.
How to buy
The Aura Mason frame can be purchased from the Aura website or Amazon.com for $199. Other Aura Frame options are available with different sizes, designs and higher resolutions.
