The Aura Frame Is the Best Gift I’ve Ever Given My Mom

In my 46 years as a daughter, I've given my mom many gifts, from thoughtful to practical to purely fun. The Aura Digital HD Picture Frame 10-Inch Version ($179) is a perennial favorite because it manages to be all three things at once. This digital frame is practical: it makes her life (and mine) ea

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What is the story about?

In my 46 years as a daughter, I've given my mom many gifts, from thoughtful to practical to purely fun. The Aura Digital HD Picture Frame 10-Inch Version ($179) is a perennial favorite because it manages to be all three things at once.

This digital frame

is practical: it makes her life (and mine) easier by giving me a single place to share photos. It's quite literally a thoughtful gift that keeps giving, because my mom knows I am thinking about her whenever my brother, sister-in-law, or I upload new photos. Plus, the frame looks cute on her bedside table, with minimal but elevated hardware that allows the high-resolution photos to pop.

For most of my adult life, I have lived far away from my parents, and though I try to visit as often as possible, I find other ways to bridge the distance and share my life with them. When I was younger, I'd create galleries of my vacations and other special events on online photo sharing sites, like Shutterstock or Flickr. But in the era of cloud storage and digital pictureframes, the Aura frame offers a simpler, faster, and more fun way to share photos. The gift was such a hit with my mom that I recently contemplated buying an Aura frame for my dad and stepmom, but my nephew beat me to it. Now, all three of my parents are fully equipped.

The Aura Digital Frame makes a great gift for parents and other family members, as well as long-distance friends and partners. For the gift giver, it's an easy way to share your life privately with the people you love. Keep reading to find out why you should consider giving the Aura Frame as a gift for the holidays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and more.

What I Like About the Aura Digital HD Picture Frame

Ease of use: The Aura Frame is very easy to use, whether you're the person uploading photos or the person enjoying them on the other end. The device itself is pretty plug-and-play out of the box. Your recipient just needs to plug it in and connect to their WiFi. The digital frame pairs a dedicated app, which your recipient can download in order to upload their own photos.

Convenient features: The frame has unlimited, free digital storage, and the high-definition display really looks fantastic. The landscape-oriented frame automatically adjusts screen brightness, handily crops your photos when needed, and turns off when it's time for bed.

Streamlined app: The Aura app (available on iPhone and Android) seamlessly to your phone's photo library. Simply click "Add Photos" and choose which photos from your camera roll you want to upload to the Aura frame. It also keeps track of the photos you have already uploaded, so you don't accidentally double up. You can manage multiple Aura frames within your apps, if you end up giving several of them as gifts.

Collaborative sharing: Maybe the biggest selling point for me is that multiple users can download the Aura app and connect to one person's frame. My mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, and I all have permission to upload photos to my mom's frame whenever we want. The result is a neverending stream of photos of my mom's favorite people, including her children, her grandchildren, and me with my partner, my dog, or my friends. Although you can choose to be notified when new photos are uploaded, my mom likes to be surprised.

Reasonable price: Considering that this gift literally keeps on giving for years, the $179 price tag for the 10-inch Aura frame feels very reasonable. If the price tag feels too high for you, this also makes a great gift to give as a group. You can also get the Aura Digital HD Picture Frame, 15-Inch Version ($299).

Beautifully packaged: If you're giving the Aura Frame as a gift, you can rest easy knowing it arrives in a sleek baby blue package that's fun to unbox.

What to Consider Before Buying the Aura Digital HD Picture Frame

While the Aura Frame doesn't require a high skill level to set up, your recipient does need to have a basic understanding of tech. They will need to log on to their WiFi network at the very least, and they'll have the option to download the app if they want to upload their own photos. That said, you can opt to only let other people upload photos if your recipient doesn't want to deal with it.

The Aura frame comes in black, black gravel, or white, and you can choose whether you want a white mat versus full-bleed images. There are also two sizes available: 15 inches and 10.1 inches. The Aura Frame comes with a power cord, so you'll want to position it near an electrical outlet.

Where Is The Aura Digital HD Picture Frame Available?

The Aura Digital Picture Frame is available on Amazon for $139 to $299, depending on the model and size. You can also shop the full collection on the Aura website, including the best-selling Aura Digital Picture Frame 10-Inch Version ($139).

Rating:

★★★★★

Nancy Einhart (she/her) is the former head of content at PS, where she managed the editorial, video, social content, and creative teams. She previously worked at PS from 2006 to 2020, where she served as executive editor and SVP of content, overseeing entertainment and lifestyle creators. Before rejoining the brand in 2023, Nancy worked for a few years as a content strategy consultant in the categories of women's wellness and sexual health and served as editor in chief of the CBD brand House of Wise.