Akimart 15.6-inch Frameo Frame

The screen is a 15.6-inch IPS touch panel at 1920 by 1080 pixels, sharp at about 141 pixels per inch and easy to see from the side thanks to the IPS panel. The frame measures about 16 by 10 inches, a comfortable size for a kitchen counter or a lounge sideboard.

The main features, in brief:

• Clock and weather on screen, each switched on or off in the settings.
• Dual Wi-Fi, joining 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks.
• 32GB of memory, extendable with a USB drive or SD card.
• Captions typed by the sender and shown with each photo.
• Calendar, collage mode and albums from the Frameo software.
• A detachable holder that turns the frame upright or sideways.

Akimart makes Frameo frames from 10.1 inches up to 21.5, and this 15.6-inch model shares its features with its smaller and larger siblings. It suits a household that wants one bigger screen in the busiest room.

The forecast is a small thing that changes how often the frame gets looked at. A screen that answers a daily question, whether it will rain on the school run or freeze overnight, earns a glance every morning, and each glance brings a new photo of the grandchildren with it.

Setup runs through the familiar Frameo steps:

1. Plug in the frame and choose the language.
2. Pick the home network, 2.4GHz or 5GHz, and enter the password.
3. Give the frame a name, such as Grandma's Kitchen.
4. Share the frame's code with the first relative, who types it into the Frameo app.
5. Send the first photos and check they appear within seconds.

Each relative who wants to send installs the free Frameo app on iPhone or Android. Photos and short videos of up to 15 seconds reach the frame from anywhere in the world, and only invited phones can send.

If both bands are available, 5GHz is faster over short distances and 2.4GHz reaches further through walls. A frame sharing a room with the router works well on either; one in the furthest room is usually happier on 2.4GHz.

Dual-band support also helps when the family changes broadband provider. A new router often arrives with different network names and bands, and a frame that accepts either band only needs the new password entered once on the touch screen. Nothing else about the frame, its photos or its senders changes, because everything is stored on the frame itself and linked to the Frameo app, not to the router.

For trouble with connecting, the Frameo Wi-Fi guide works through the router checks in order.

Photos in JPG, JPEG, BMP or PNG and videos in MP4 all play. Copy a folder to a USB stick, push it into the frame, and import the pictures or play them straight from the stick. A longer video from a stick is not bound by the app's 15-second clip limit.

Once the photos are in, a long list of settings shapes the slideshow:

• Play order, to choose how the photos follow each other.
• Zoom, to fill the screen with a photo.
• Hide or show, to keep a photo on the frame but out of the rotation.
• Brightness, for a sunny kitchen or a dim hallway.
• Sleep mode, to turn the screen off overnight.

Albums group the photos by event or by person, and the slideshow can switch between them. Collage mode shows several photos together after a party. Reactions let the owner send a heart or a smile back to the sender, and greetings bring a themed card for a birthday or a holiday.

The calendar syncs through the Frameo app and shows upcoming events next to the photos, a helpful nudge for a grandparent with appointments to remember.

Hiding is the gentle alternative to deleting. A photo that no longer fits the mood, a former partner at a wedding for instance, can drop out of the slideshow without being lost, and it can come back later with a tap.

For card sizes and formatting, see the memory card guide. For sending photos from phones, see adding photos to a Frameo frame.

The 21.5-inch model adds a VESA wall mount and more screen for a large lounge. The 10.1-inch model is the compact choice, with a detachable stand and a version that has a built-in battery.

Some families choose one of each: the 15.6-inch frame in the kitchen where the weather matters, and a 10.1-inch Akimart by the bed. The Frameo app sends the same photo to both frames in one step, so the two screens stay in step without anyone lifting a finger at Grandma's end.

Outside Akimart, Arktronic's 15.6-inch frame also supports dual-band Wi-Fi and a synced calendar, and takes a microSD card rather than a USB stick.

Before buying the 15.6-inch Akimart, check four points:

1. The spot. Allow about 16 by 10 inches of shelf or wall.
2. A socket. It runs on mains power.
3. Extra photos. Keep a USB stick or SD card handy for importing albums.
4. Viewing distance. For a wall across a big room, consider the 21.5-inch model.

The Frameo size guide compares every screen size in a real room.