I’ve written about my experience with Nixplay frames previously. I love the ease-of-use they provide and really enjoy being able to see various pictures from the trips Raina and I have taken. The company recently released the new Nixplay Iris 8”. At $199.99, this is the company’s most refined WiFi frame yet and … I love it.
Always connected so never miss a moment: Nixplay Cloud Frames are the easiest way to get in touch with your photos. Place the frame in your loved one’s home and easily email or send photos using the Nixplay Mobile App for iPhone & Android. Using WiFi connectivity, display photos sent from anywhere in the world.
The NixPlay Iris is built to be part of the company’s ecosystem of digital picture frames. It is for that reason that the functionality of the frame is pretty much the same as we have seen previously. I won’t go through all that setup but, rather, I’ll refer you to this review of the first NixPlay Frame we reviewed and this review of the Nixplay Seed.
The setup is the same. That’s important because it means that, if like me, you have more than one Nixplay frame, you have one interface that allows you to control all of the frames.
I used the opportunity of setting up the Nixplay Iris for this review to organize my pictures a bit better than they had been previously. I created a folder of pictures from Raina’s and my trip to Greece. I created one from our wedding. I created one from our honeymoon in Hawaii. And I created a folder called… “What’s next…” It has nothing in it but is simply there as a reminder that there are more trips to come.
Like all of the frames we have reviewed the Nixplay Iris offers:
- Instant Sharing: Capture moments, add captions and send them directly to any Nixplay Frame.
- Nixplay Friends: The whole family can start sharing! Anyone can download the Nixplay Mobile App to send photos to loved ones’ frames.
- All in one place: Upload photos from your computer or tablet and access your social media platforms including Facebook, Dropbox, Instagram, Google Photos and Flickr.
- Playlists: Create playlists of your favorite moments and choose any combination to display on your frame.
- Cloud account: Safe and secure. Enjoy 10GB of FREE Cloud Storage and the ability to connect up to 5 frames.
- Frame Settings to suit your preferences: Shuffle Photos, Display Most Recent, Photos Transitions, Captions, and Clock.
- Nixplay Iris lights up for you: Designed to fit any home environment intelligently, the Nixplay Iris will dim and brighten its panel to best display photos according to your ambient light level.
- Sound sensing: The Nixplay Iris Activity Sensor turns the frame on when it detects sound in the room to show your most recent photos and off when it’s quiet.
Yes, this is a smart frame that does more than you ever imagined a frame would offer. Still, these features are pretty much the same on all of the Nixplay frames. So, is there is a reason to consider the Nixplay Iris? Absolutely. You see…
What makes the Nixplay Iris stand out is the amazing refinement they brought to the frame this time out. The frame has a “stunning silk metal-finish” that looks fantastic. And that’s the point. I am a fan of the other Nixplay frames we have reviewed on Gear Diary but, to be honest, those frames look like what they are — digital frames. The Nixplay Iris looks like a frame. It is as simple as that. While this frame packs in all sorts of amazing tech, when you look at it is simply looks like a frame. To my mind, that makes it a huge step forward from both traditional frames AND other digital frames.
And if a silver frame won’t work with your decor there’s no need to worry. The Nixplay Iris is also available in Peach Copper and Burnished Bronze and each has a silk-metal finish.
So with the Nixplay Iris, you get a WiFi frame that delivers images in a 4:3 resolution on a gorgeous IPS Display. The power cable also doubles as a stand (Nixplay refers to it as a “Slim, cable-stand”.) It has an Activity Sensor that senses motion and an auto brightness control that keeps the frame at the proper brightness regardless of the time of day. And, of course, as a WiFi frame, it is able to connect to a variety of different sources including Dropbox, Email, Facebook, Instagram and more.
The Nixplay Iris has an 8” display with a resolution of 1024 x 768. It measures 9.27” by 7.48” by 0.88” and weighs just 420g. It supports images in JPEG, JPG, and PNG formats. The frame has an 8GB of onboard storage that can handle up to 25,000 photos. And, since it’s more than just a frame, it even has a 1.5W Mono speaker so you can play video clips! How great is that!?!
I’m a fan and, when we purchased a large bookshelf for our living room, I made sure the frame would have a prominent spot at eye level. Right now it is playing pictures from our Greece trip but when the family is here for Thanksgiving I expect I’ll kick over to a folder that displays pictures from our wedding. You can get yours here.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I Like: All the great features of other Nixplay frames but looks classy and refined; 8GB of onboard storage; Has a mono speaker for video clips; Lets you manage all images and folders for and from all frames; Great-looking display with a 1024 by 768 resolution
What Needs Improvement: New design loses the ability to side load from SD cards
