The perfect gift: digital photo frames are so clever

I haven't had a digital photo frame in my hand for a long time. But it's actually an ideal gift for relatives who enjoy taking part in the lives of their children and grandchildren in photo form.

Send photos to the frame with your smartphone

The function that really made the difference for me: I can send photos directly from my mobile to the frame - from anywhere. So instead of sharing photos via WhatsApp, for example, they can be displayed directly on the photo frame. Even with a caption if desired. This works with photos and small video clips, but unfortunately not with animated GIFs.

Access to this send function can be shared with any number of people. For example, the whole family can share their impressions with their grandparents. Sharing is really as quick and easy as sending a photo via Messenger.

Easy installation, good photo quality

Two surprises await me when I unpack the Denver Frameo. The photo frame is made of rather cheap plastic, despite the not-so-cheap price. It really feels like the cheapest picture frame from a furniture discounter. Nevertheless, it looks okay and it also seems sturdy. But you can feel the inferior plastic quality when you touch it.

In my opinion, the manufacturer has saved money in the wrong place, although the frame otherwise makes a very good impression. To my surprise, the display is even a touchscreen. So I can operate everything conveniently via it and don't have to tediously click through menus with two buttons on the side of the frame.

The installation is pleasingly simple. I switch on the Denver Frameo, connect it to the WLAN and display a QR code. I install the app on my smartphone and register. Then I scan the code and send the first photos.

Pictures can also be uploaded to the frame from an external storage device via USB or a micro SD card. Depending on the model, 8 or 16 GB of memory is available. However, around 2 GB is already occupied by the system.

The photo frame is available in four sizes: 7, 10, 15 and a gigantic 19 inches. I bought the second-smallest version, which is perfectly adequate. The photo is displayed in a size of around 14 × 22 centimetres. The resolution is 800 × 1280 pixels, which is not outstanding, but perfectly adequate. Visually, it definitely looks like a glowing photo and not like a screen - I really like that.

Digital photo frames

EUR81,19

Denver PFF-725B

7", 1024 x 600 pixels

1

Digital photo frames

EUR105,08

Denver Digital picture frame PFF-1021

10.10", 1280 x 800 pixels

46

Digital photo frames

EUR233,94

Denver Frameo PFF-1514

15.60", 1920 x 1080 pixels

32

Digital photo frames

EUR230,84

Denver Frameo PFF-1970

19", 1280 x 1024 pixels

In our shop you will find a large selection of models: black, white or wood-coloured - and in three different sizes. Prices may vary depending on availability and the marketplace provider, although the underlying technology is always the same. So it's worth taking a look at the selection.

Clever details and annoying plan

The operation is very well thought out. When I tap on the screen, a small window opens with the most important controls. From here, I can also go directly to the menu with the detailed settings.

Under "Display", for example, I can set the frame to switch to sleep mode at night and not display an image. I can also edit the gallery and specify whether descriptions, time and weather data should be displayed - or really just the photo.

The manufacturer supplies a power supply unit, but you can also use any USB-C charger. The frame can either be set up or hung on the wall - either in portrait or landscape format. As soon as you turn the device, the display adjusts automatically. For photos in the wrong format, you can specify which area should be displayed when you send them. This allows the image to be cropped appropriately.

It's a shame that the brightness doesn't automatically adjust to the lighting conditions. I also have to go to the menu every time to make the image brighter or darker. A setting option in the first window would have been desirable here.

It's also a shame that I can't manage the images on the frame remotely. This only works directly via the Frameo. Alternatively, I would have to take out a plan for 16 francs or euros per year. This would allow me to transfer up to 100 photos at once via the app instead of 10, have a cloud backup and be able to play videos up to two minutes long. Without a plan, only short clips of up to 15 seconds are possible. Fortunately, the frame is also easy to use without a plan.

Critical points: Data protection and power consumption

Two questions naturally arise with such a device that is constantly connected to the power supply and Wi-Fi: How much energy is "wasted" - and how is my data secured?

Firstly, the power: I measured a power consumption of 3.3 watts at full brightness. If I assume that the Frameo is switched on for 16 hours a day, this results in 19.3 kWh per year, which corresponds to electricity costs of around six to seven francs or euros.

If you reduce the brightness to half (which is completely sufficient indoors), the power consumption drops to 1.8 watts. This corresponds to a consumption of 10.5 kWh per year and around 3.50 francs or euros in electricity costs.

On the topic of data protection: Denver is a company from Denmark. Although the Frameo is manufactured in China, the data protection regulations comply with European standards. The photos are transferred directly from the app to the digital photo frame and are only saved if you have taken out an additional cloud subscription. The manufacturer promises encrypted transmission of all data.

You can find the general privacy policy on the manufacturer's website. Important details: Images and videos are not stored by Denver unless you book the cloud service. The transmission from my mobile to the frame is end-to-end encrypted. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether this offers sufficient security and privacy protection.