Aura Ink review: You’ll swear this ePaper digital photo frame is the real thing

Want a digital photo frame that looks more like a real photograph and not a mini TV? The Aura Ink is part of a new category of digital picture frames that use e-Ink rather than LCD technology — it’s sort of like an Amazon Kindle vs an Apple iPad.

So, while colors and contrast might not be as bright or vivid, you’re getting something that not only looks closer to an actual printed photo but in a device that has a much longer battery life — so much so that you can hang the Aura Ink on your wall for months, no wires needed.

I tested the Aura Ink for a couple of weeks to see how it compared to the best digital photo frames, and if it’s worth it’s pretty high asking price of $499.

Aura Ink review: Price and availability

The Aura Ink went on sale October 21, 2025 for $499. It’s by far the most expensive picture frame from the company. Its next-priciest model is the 15-inch Walden, which costs $299.

The Aura Ink only comes in one color — a black frame with a white matte. By comparison, the Aluratek frame comes with both a black and white matte.

Aura Ink review: Design

Aura generally has done a great job with making its digital photo frames look like actual picture frames, and the Aura Ink is no exception. The Ink’s 13-inch screen is bordered by a 1.5-inch paper-like matte. That’s half the size of the 3-inch matte on the Aluratek ePaper 13.3 inch Wifi Digital Photo Frame, so the Aura Ink will take up less space on your wall.

On the other hand, you may like the Aluratek’s aesthetic more. While it’s bigger and heavier, it feels more like a photo frame you might buy at a store.

The rear of the Aura Ink is slightly beveled, with three control buttons arrayed along one of the longer sides. The frame can be wall-mounted, but it also comes with a small metal stand for propping it up on a table.

Aura Ink review: Image quality

The Aura Ink’s display has a glossy finish, which does kick up some reflections, but was ultimately less distracting than I initially thought it would be. Additionally, the Aura Ink has a front light (much like the Kindle Paperwhite) which turns on when the frame detects motion, or the ambient light changes.

I happened to have the Aluratek ePaper 13.3 inch Wi-Fi Digital Photo Frame during testing, so I was able to compare the two photo frames side by side with the same images.

I started with a photo of my daughter, who was wearing a yellow and blue dress in front of a green door and blue tiles. Colors, such as the dress and the blue tiles, were much richer and saturated on the Aluratek, but the Aura did a better job at showing my kid’s face, which was more evenly lit. On the Aluratek, half of her face looked like it was covered in shadows.

It was the same thing with another photo of my kid standing in front of a light blue door with red lettering. Colors were much deeper on the Aluratek frame, at the expense of skin tones, and it was able to pull more details out, such as peeling paint on the door. Still, I preferred the Aura’s treatment; while things looked a little more washed out, it wasn’t as noticeable.

I then compared a third shot of my child riding on one of those spinning chair rides at a carnival; there’s a bright blue sky in the background, and she’s sitting on a bright red chair. This was a much higher-contrast scene, which the Aura Ink handled much better. Colors were much brighter yet evenly balanced, as were skin tones and dynamic contrast; the Aura brought out details from the shadows much better than the Aluratek.

A photo of my cat sitting on my bed revealed the same pattern. The Aluratek had richer colors and was able to bring out some more details in his white fur, but the overall image was darker and moodier than the Aura.

Like the Aluratek, it takes a few seconds for an image to render on the Aura Ink, due to the nature of the technology.

Aura Ink review: Cloud services and app

Like the company’s other digital photo frames, the Aura Ink uses Aura’s very good app to manage images on the device. You can upload an unlimited number of photos to the cloud, and it’s really easy to switch between them. Plus, it’s a cinch to invite other family members to add photos to the frame, which is handy if you’re planning to give this as a gift. And, you can link your Apple Photos and Google Photos accounts in the Aura app, making it super simple to add more photos to the frame.

The Aura Ink does need to remain connected to the cloud; while it has some internal memory, the photo frame will go blank after about a day if there’s no Wi-Fi connection. On the other hand, if you choose never to change its photo, it should remain until the batteries run out.

Aura Ink review: Battery life

Aura says the Aura Ink’s battery should last up to three months on a charge if it changes photos once per day. Its endurance will drop if you set it to change images more often, or if it has to use its backlight a lot. Three months is a good length of time, but falls well short of Aluratek’s claimed two years for its ePaper photo frame.

After using the Aura Ink for about two weeks, and having it change photos once a day or so, it was down to an 83% charge. I’ve had the Aluratek frame for about two months, with it changing photos every six hours, and it has about a 40% charge.

Aura Ink: Bottom line

The $499 Aura Ink is a great new product from a company that’s known for making some of the best digital photo frames. It produces a lovely image, and it’s easy to add photos and get others to add them too. However, when compared to the $349 Aluratek 13-inch ePaper photo frame, it is a bit of a toss-up. I preferred the Aura’s image reproduction and app, but the Aluratek is $150 cheaper, and can last much longer on a single charge. Neither are an inexpensive product, but if you can afford it, you might like the Aura Ink a bit more.