Aura vs Skylight Digital Frame
Hi all,
Just wanted to share a work I made to compare Aura and Skylight digital frames (version 1). Both are popular options for digital photo frames, still each one has its pros and cons and may suit different needs.
Note - Recently Skylight launched its 2nd version of the digital frame (yet to be available on Amazon, only on their website), per the specification on their site. Compared to the 1st version, it has higher resolution, extended storage of 16GB and free Video support. Once I have more information, I will try sharing in this post.
If you want the bottom line, check my verdict below, I think there is a clear answer (at list to in my opinion.
Key Features Overview
| Feature | Aura Carver | Skylight Digital Picture Frame (Version 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Display Size | 10.1 inches | 10 inches |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 (WXGA) | 1280 x 800 (IPS display) |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Screen Type | IPS (In-Plane Switching) | IPS |
| Built-in Speaker | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | Unlimited cloud storage (no fees) | 8GB local storage (up to 8,000 photos) |
| Multi-Album Support | Yes | Yes (with Skylight Frame Plus subscription) |
| Wireless Upload | Via app, email, or web browser | Via Skylight mobile app or email |
| Auto-Rotate | Yes | Yes |
| Frame placement | Horizontal | Vertical and Horizontal |
| Subscription Fees | None | Optional $3.99/month or $39.99/year for extra features |
| Setup | Easy, via the Aura app | Easy, with email setup and app |
| Works with Alexa | Yes | No |
| Offline Mode | No | Yes |
| Wall Mountable | No | Yes (with limited mounting options) |
Verdict
- Select Aura - If you are looking for a no-subscription-required digital frame that offers high-quality display, and unlimited cloud storage, the Aura Carver is the better choice. It also has a better application to my opinion. It is much more popular option, but it can only be placed horizontally and it doesn't have internal storage.
- Select Skylight (version 1) - If you want internal storage (8GB can be enough for many people but not always) and want to be able to place it vertically, the Skylight is a solid and popular digital frame. Pay attention, their first version doesn't freely support video without subscription and if you want to have many images, 8GB will not be enough.
My personal opinion, Aura is a much better option for many reasons, as long as you don't need internal storage and the budget permits. It has a better App, better screen quality and it is much nicer as a gift (packaging, preloading without opening the package). Skylight is a good option as well but you will need to pay subscription to get more storage and to view video.
If you do need internal storage (so the frame will not need to be connected to WiFi all the time), I think that there are good alternative to Skylight, that you can quickly check on this page. Having said that I hope the Skylight digital frame 2 will prove itself as a good offline digital frame competitor (I will share more as we gain more experience with it).
Feel free asking anything. Cheers