Nixplay Seed 10.1 inch Widescreen (Wi-Fi)

$149.99

Nixplay sells several types of digital frames—the company provided a Nixplay Seed 10.1-inch Widescreen frame, one of their most advanced and stylish models, for evaluation. This Wi-Fi enabled frame brings a wireless interface the display of personal or professional images in an all-on-one package that can be managed remotely via an iOS or Android app.

What we like about the Nixplay Seed 10.1

Unlike older frames, the Seed doesn’t require an SD card or cumbersome USB cable to load images. This frame downloads its images from the Nixplay Cloud, after copying them from Apple’s iCloud-based Photos or Google Photos via the Nixplay app. More on the app in The latest app section below.

The frame’s simple styling, relatively slim profile, clean bezel (with controls and logo) and matt black finish (also available in wood grain) help it fit with almost any decor. As the image of my frame illustrate it sits in our entryway along with other frames of various types.

Older frames mostly displayed images in low-resolution. The Nixplay Seed offers 16:10 High-Resolution IPS Display for crisp images. The color palette is outstanding, delivering deep hues and bright colors. The Seed supports both vertical and horizontal orientations.

Motion detection proves a plus. Rather than turning on a frame and forgetting it as it sends photons into a watchless void (which is bad behavior as we all seek to conserve energy), this frame only awakens its display when it senses someone might want to look at a picture.

Features, design and software work together to craft a great display and curation experience. The Nixplay Seed isn’t inexpensive, but when compared to Kindle’s or iPads, it offers good value for its purpose.

The latest Nixplay app

The latest Nixplay app makes it easy to bring in images from an iOS or Android image collection. The application allows for the creation of image playlists that can be run individually or in combination. Nixplay Cloud includes 10GB of storage.

The app supports the following features:

I found most of these features work well, though I was unable to connect to the frame recently when traveling outside of the US. It would also be nice for the app to work in horizontal mode on an iPad.

The app, and the settings on the frame allow for overall control of the viewing experience including recency of photos, playlists, sleep schedule, motion sensor timing, shuffling, clock settings, Wi-Fi connectivity, captioning, and displays like connectivity and time.  All of the software options are easy to find and simple to use.

What we don’t like

There is very little not to like about the Seed 10.1, but I do have a couple of suggestions. First power arrives through a honeycomb woven conduit that also acts as the frame’s stand. The stand comes in two parts, which meet at a plastic coupling where power supply attaches to stand. This is also the place where literally, the frame’s rubber meets the road (or table or cabinet). If the conduit isn’t contorted in the right way, the power cord/stand can touch furniture directly, and I worry about scratches.

I use the work contort above because that is what it feels like trying to manipulate the connector so that it sits precisely in the right place for surface contact. A better solution would be to include a plastic footing that slips around the cable, allowing the owner to place the footing where necessary without contorting the cable. This issue will likely turn up in cramped spaces.

The small remote control provides access to picture advancement and menu features, but like all small remote controls, it can get lost. As I started writing this review, I have to admit, I had to ask my wife to tell me where she put the remote.

Bottom-line

The Nixplay Seed 10.1 is an outstanding digital frame. Its big widescreen displays images with great clarity in a style that fits almost any decor. In addition to the Seed being a great digital frame, Nixplay also plants a tree seed in Africa for every frame purchased through their partner, Trees for the Future.