ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Amazon’s new 10-inch Alexa Photo Frame comes with Alexa+ built in.
- Alexa+ will choose photos, and you can ask it to show specific ones.
- The new frame comes in three varieties priced at $200 or $230.
Amazon’s new Alexa Photo Frame is available now, with a 10-inch HD screen, Alexa+ built in, and prices starting at $200. I’ve been looking for a new photo frame to set up in my dining room or kitchen and <a href="https://myappsplus.com/7-apps-that-look-gorgeous-on-the-iphone-duos-display/” title=”7 apps that look gorgeous on the iPhone Duo's display”>display some of the photos my wife and I have snapped over the years. So far, the frames I’ve seen and tested haven’t quite done the trick for me. Amazon’s newly launched frame could be the one.
Released as part of the company’s latest product blitz, the Alexa Photo Frame has a semi-matte, anti-glare finish that Amazon said makes your images look more like actual prints and lets you view them from any angle. Plus, the frame’s brightness automatically changes based on the surrounding lighting conditions. I’d definitely like to see all that in action.
Also: The 4 biggest Amazon smart home announcements from today
How the Alexa Photo Frame uses Amazon Photos
Apparently, you don’t have to fiddle with SD cards or local storage, as the frame picks up your photos directly from Amazon Photos. The only drawback is that I don’t actively use Amazon Photos. But I have the app on my iPhone, so it would be easy enough to turn on automatic photo syncing with Amazon’s cloud service.
With my photos syncing to Amazon Photos, any new shots I take would automatically upload, so I wouldn’t have to manually add the latest ones. The frame will even skip certain images like screenshots and receipts, which is handy as I do take a lot of screenshots on my phone. And since I’m an Amazon Prime member, I get unlimited space to store my photos.
Also: Amazon’s new Echo Studio gives Alexa+ an AI camera to see inside your home
What Alexa+ adds to the Alexa Photo Frame
But the real appeal for me is that this frame comes with Alexa+ built in. We’re an Alexa house with Echo speakers in several different rooms.
Using AI, Alexa+ chooses the best photos to display at any given time That could be based on certain people or seasons of the year, or whether you’re smiling and how nice the lighting is. My wife always tells me that I look like the Joker when I smile for a photo. Maybe Alexa can find ones where my smile is a bit less maniacal
You can also ask Alexa to display your favorite photos. As Amazon suggests, you could tell Alexa to “show photos from the trip to the beach with mom” or “show photos of the kids.” In my case, I might tell it to display photos from all our travels to New York Comic Con or photos from our trip to Paris in 2025.
Also: Amazon’s Echo Show 16 makes Apple’s 7-inch HomeView look puny – is it worth $100+ extra?
According to Amazon, Alexa+ knows when to display two photos together. For example, the company said it might display one photo of you eating an ice cream cone when you’re a kid next to another of you as an adult also eating a cone.
Another feature I like: Often a photo may appear on your frame’s screen, but you may not quite remember where or why you took it. With the Alexa Photo Frame, you can add voice notes to any photo. The frame will play your note to remind you of any special meaning behind that photo.
The Alexa Photo Frame is now for sale at Amazon. If you pick one up, check the return policy in case you don’t like it. As for me, I think I’m going to order one as soon as I’m done here. I just need to decide whether I want the walnut or birch frame.
