The 13-inch Ink frame blends digital smarts with a classic aesthetic — using color e-paper, motion sensors, and a minimalist design ideal for wall mounting.
Aura Brings Cordless E-Ink to Digital Photo Frames
Aura, known for its elegant digital photo frames, has just introduced its most ambitious product yet: the Ink frame, a $499 e-ink-based photo frame that delivers cord-free display and a design that fits seamlessly into modern living spaces.
- The 13.3-inch frame uses Spectra 6 color e-paper—the same tech found in advanced e-readers—to display images with six primary ink colors and subtle tonal range.
- Most notably, the e-ink display allows it to run without being plugged in, thanks to a built-in rechargeable battery.
Designed to Look Like a Real Frame
Aura built the Ink with aesthetic placement in mind:
- Perfect for walls, stairwells, or minimalistic spaces where cords would distract from the decor.
- Features a graphite-inspired bezel, glass front, and paper-textured mat, evoking the look and feel of traditional photo frames.
- Portrait or landscape display supported, with built-in mounting hardware, a stand, and a USB-C charger in the box.
How the Technology Works
- The Spectra 6 panel displays white, black, red, yellow, green, and blue, blending them via a custom dithering algorithm inspired by newspaper dot printing.
- Aura developed this algorithm in-house to create the illusion of millions of colors, despite e-ink’s inherent limitations.
- The result? Subtler, print-like photos that blend in better with real prints—while still offering digital convenience.
Light, Battery, and Smart Features
To make the Ink as efficient as possible:
- A low-powered front light, similar to the Kindle Paperwhite, enhances contrast without overpowering the room.
- A motion sensor and ambient light sensor turn the display off when no one is nearby.
- Battery life is rated at up to three months between charges, depending on usage.
- Users can configure on/off schedules via the Aura mobile app for even longer runtimes.
“It’s maybe a sixth of the brightness of an LCD… people often don’t even notice it has a light until they’re in a dark room and it turns off.”
— Eric Jensen, Aura co-founder and CTO
A Thoughtful Software Experience
Despite being a smart device, Aura has designed the Ink to encourage intentional photo sharing:
- Unlike standard Aura frames, the Ink doesn’t constantly rotate images—to conserve battery and embrace its print-like vibe.
- Users can schedule updates overnight, limiting jarring screen flashes caused by e-ink’s refresh behavior.
- Updates can occur up to 12 times per day, but more frequent changes will reduce battery life.
Jensen notes that many customers may choose to display just one special photo for a while—creating a hybrid between a digital and heirloom frame.
Aura’s Growing Footprint
- Aura has now sold “single-digit millions” of frames and is profitable.
- Its app has shared over 1 billion photos, often between family networks gifting frames to loved ones.
- In 2022, Aura raised $26M and later closed $60M in growth capital from LAGO Innovation Fund.
While its founders hail from Twitter, Aura’s focus has shifted to private photo sharing without ads or subscriptions, emphasizing personal connection over social scale.
“The marriage of a hardware device and that space really works well as a business.”
— Eric Jensen, Aura CTO
Available Now
The Aura Ink frame is now available for purchase directly from Aura’s website.
- Price: $499
- Resolution: 1600 x 1200 (4:3 aspect ratio)
- Dimensions: 14.1″ x 11.4″ x 0.6″
- Includes USB-C port, status light, manual controls, and app-based photo uploads
- No subscription required; unlimited photo storage via the Aura app
