HANNspree SD7021Specs

• 7″ display (480×234 pixels)
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• SD, MS, USB sources
• 8MB internal memory

Like its bigger sibling the SD80M4MB, the SD7021 comes with a simple one-part rotating stand, USB and SD card options, and a rotation sensor to automatically switch between portrait and landscape modes.

Unlike the SD80, the SD7021 has almost no features beyond the basics: no speaker (circular grille notwithstanding), remote, CF card slot, or any of the other stuff beyond basic picture playback and desk-clock functionality. This does mean that unlike the easy, remote-driven navigation on the SD80, you need to use the buttons

Video playback and a remote control weren’t the only corners the SD7021 cut to hit it’s price point. The 7-inch LCD is lower than normal resolution, just 480 x 234 pixels compared to 800 x 480 on its bigger brother and 800 x 600 on other similarly sized frames. 

The low resolution screen is simply a killer. From a distance it’s passable, but up close it looks pretty rough. Sharpness and clarity are lost, and the brightness of the photos is substantially decreased. (To correct for this, you’ll need to go into the internal menus and bump up the brightness at least 5 notches.) Even the menus look dotty and unappealing.

I used the same set of photos, on the same SD card, to test out the SD7021 as I’d used on the more larger and more robust Hannspree SD80 frame. It’s no competition. While some people might look at both frames and think that the SD7021 would be a deal at this price point, the bare facts are that the added clarity is more than worth the extra cash of a better frame, even apart from any added features.

The other issue is that it’s widescreen. That means images will need to be edited for this frame or they’ll be cropped or zommed in on, altering their appearance on the frame. We’d prefer to see standard aspect ratios in most frames, even more so in this value-oriented class.

Truthfully, I don’t really have a lot of other issues with the SD7021. The design is simple and reasonably robust, the frame is simple and attractive, albeit high-gloss and as such very prone to catching fingerprints. 

For the most value-oriented digital frame buyer, it’s hard to find a frame at this price that’s 7″, so on a pure price per inch basis, HANNspree probably accomplished their mission. The retail is $40 and in some cases the resolution won’t be as important as price. 

Pros

• Relatively inexpensive

Cons

• Bad screen
• Few features
• Widescreen not ideal for most photos

Bottom Line

With a street price of under $40, the SD7021 is an ultra-basic frame intended for those who aren’t bothered by the lack of features. It might be ideal as a borderline-disposable setup for undemanding grandparents or relatives whose vision isn’t what it used to be, but anyone who’s serious about digital photos will definitely want to look elsewhere. 

2 out of 5 stars

HANNspree SD80M4MB Specs

• 8″ display
• 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen)
• 800×480 resolution
• 256MB internal memory
• MP3, AVI, MPEG-4 playback
• SD, MMC, CF, MS, mini-USB
• Speakers

Design and Build

The frame comes with several faceplates that can be used, or not, with a few seasons. The Christmas, Valentines, and candy-themed faceplates all struck me as being pretty too dramatic, so I simply left the frame bare. In that condition it’s an attractive flat black. Unremarkable yes, but suitable to almost any decor.

Mounting options consist of wall hangings or a simple single-prop stand that can be rotated to support either a landscape or portrait style orientation. If you rotate the SD80 to portrait, it automatically senses this and flip all your photos.

The interface, as far as it goes, is relatively simple. The frame defaults to its internal memory, but it can be ordered to read photos off of an SD or CompactFlash memory card, or even a USB hard drive via the (included) USB Host adapter.

Display Modes

Once you’ve got a lineup, you can “play” all the photos in a long slideshow, or pick and choose which ones; designate how long to wait before flipping to the next; what type of transitions to use; manually skipping forward, back, and pausing; and a bunch of other options to let you choose exactly what you want to see, and how. While you can get away with using the buttons behind the edge of the frame itself, the best and easiest way is with the included infrared remote control.

It’s a very simple and reliable little unit, I must say, with great buttons and a compact design.

Curiously, despite all those options, the SD80 lacks a couple things that one would imagine to be obvious: a simple shuffle feature, and any ability to organize photos into categories. It’ll only play in standard order, and if you want it to play certain groups of photos you need to either manually select them every time or maintain separate memory cards. Personally though I never really missed these while I was trialing the frame, I realize I might feel different if I were trying to organize hundreds or even thousands of photos, or if I had the thing running its cycle for weeks.

Multimedia

One of the SD80′s advertised features is the ability to play video. Presumably, this is aimed at the simple digital video files produced by some cameras, but in theory it supports a decent range of common formats.

Just as a random test, I grabbed a large-format XviD file and dropped it on the memory card. My expectation was that it would choke on the size and quality of the video, but that it might give me an idea where the performance ceiling was.

So it was very much to my shock that I pushed the play button and was greeted by glassy-smooth DVD-quality playback, in about the same quality you’d get showing it on a typical laptop screen. I was rather impressed–I’ve had computers that haven’t been able to do that. The standard speaker is a bit quiet, but if you’re really interested in the video features, it has a 3.5mm audio out jack, suitable for alternate speakers or even a pair of headphones. I’m not suggesting that you toss your DVD player by any means, but for a device not designed primarily to play video, the SD80 does it pretty well.

There’s a variety of other small, relatively standard features on the frame such as the ability to play back music, either in and of itself or as a backdrop while presenting its slideshow. An ability, in my opinion, very much wasted with the default speaker. Don’t bother, though with added speakers the right tunes might enhance your memories of that trip to the Grand Canyon.

It also offers a desktop calendar/clock mode, displaying the time and date in one of two views, alongside your photos, or superimposing the time on one corner of the screen during the slideshow. Nothing exotic, but useful.

The biggest disadvantage to the SD80 its aspect ratio. Although widescreen may be the standard for video and an increasing number of laptops, digital photos are still 4:3 by default. That being the case, you’re probably going to want to resize your photos so that they don’t have wasted space on the sides.

The more discriminating photo guru would want to process and crop their photos before loading them anyway, even on a 4:3 frame, for maximum use of the available space. But for the casual user, it just adds a layer of complexity that they shouldn’t be obligated to deal with, and it’s annoying if you have hundreds of photos you want to display.

Pros

• Nice screen
• Audio/video playback
• Multiple storage options

Cons

• Widescreen not ideal for most photos

Bottom Line

With the ability to a half dozen different things, the SD80 goes beyond simply being a picture frame and approaches the realm of being a digital appliance, while still being easy enough to figure out without needing to touch the manual. Combine that with a very reasonable price compared to similarly equipped frames, and the it’s relatively easy to forget the small blemishes of aspect ratio and a couple of missing sort options.

4 out of 5 stars

HANNspree SD7021

The SD7021 features a 7-inch widescreen LCD display, auto-rotation of images, slideshow functionality, calendar, 3-in-1 memory card reader, and a paltry 8MB internal memory. The resolution also leaves a lot to be desired, coming in at 480×234. With the widescreen display, your pictures will have to be cropped or zoomed to fill the screen. Combine that with the low resolution display and the results aren’t likely to be very impressive. The SD7021 retails for $49.99 (MSRP).

HANNspree SD80M4MB

The SD80M4MB features an 8-inch widescreen LCD display with three ceramic interchangeable faceplates with themes of Christmas, birthday, and Valentine’s Day, along with two regular faceplates. The package also includes two regular frame stands, so that three faceplates can be used simultaneously. 

The SD80M4MB does include the ability to play audio and video files, auto-rotation of images, slideshow functionality, calendar and alarm clock, 6-in-1 memory card reader, remote control and 256MB internal memory. It even has a respectable 800×480 screen resolution with 500:1 contrast ratio. The SD80M4MB is $99.99 (MSRP).

Both frames are available now. If you’re looking for an affordable frame, these might be decent options.

Update

We have posted a HANNspree SD80M4MB review.

We have posted a HANNspree SD7021 review.