From Obsolete to Irresistible: How BLOOMIN8 Made Smart Frames Cool Again

At first glance, BLOOMIN8 might look like just another digital photo frame. When it launched its Kickstarter campaign in March 2025, many assumed it was simply a modern take on a familiar gadget — a device that had largely faded into the background after being overshadowed by tablets and smart displays. But when we recently explored Kickstarter’s trending categories, BLOOMIN8 kept surfacing at the top of the “smart frame” search results. That’s when we noticed its standout performance: over 2.4 million AUD (approx. ¥11.3 million or $1.56 million USD) in crowdfunding — far beyond the typical $100,000–$150,000 range for similar products.

This impressive figure isn’t just a fluke — it’s the result of a sharp focus on what makes a frame compelling in the age of AI, and a willingness to break free from the traditional idea of what a "smart frame" should be.

A Rocky Two-Decade Journey for Smart Frames

The concept of the digital frame dates back well before the smartphone era. If you hear “smart frame” in 2025, you might picture a glass-fronted device with thick borders, showcasing a looping slideshow of family photos. And for good reason — early digital frames (what we now call 1.0 versions) were simple devices: limited LCD screens, local memory card reading, and often a single function — displaying photos.

One of the earliest examples came from U.S.-based CEIVA, whose frames could download images via dial-up internet or memory card. These early frames typically featured low-resolution displays, with limited angles and significant power consumption.

As display and transmission technologies evolved — with the introduction of Bluetooth, email transfer, and higher-resolution LCDs — brands like Sony and Samsung entered the space. Some models added weather and music features, raising prices to $100–$300.

But the real turning point came in 2010 with the launch of the iPad. Suddenly, consumers had a portable, multifunctional screen that made most standalone frames feel obsolete. Between 2013 and 2015, the average price of digital frames in the U.S. dropped from $34 to $25, and unit sales plunged from 5 million to 2 million annually (Statista).

This disruption forced the industry into its next phase — the 2.0 era — with cloud syncing, smartphone apps, and upgraded displays (IPS and OLED). New brands like Denmark’s Frameo and the U.S.’s Aura introduced social sharing features, allowing multiple family members to update a shared frame. Aura’s user base grew by 1 million annually between 2019–2021, and the company raised $26 million in 2022.

A Crowded Market — With Mixed Results

The past five years have seen an explosion of crowdfunding projects in this space — many from Chinese startups. Some experimented with E-Ink displays (popularized by e-readers like Kindle) to achieve lower power consumption and better readability. Others pursued more “social” features, like Loop 2, which added emoji reactions and family comment threads to photos.

Still, many of these products struggled to gain traction. Even the more successful campaigns, such as the iFramix Pro, which raised $170,000 USD, relied on transforming old iPads into display devices. The concept was clever — low cost, eco-friendly, and addressing the pain point of outdated tech — but it wasn’t revolutionary.

What these experiments often lacked was focus. As brands raced to add calendars, video playback, or even lighting effects, they blurred the line between smart speaker, tablet, and frame. And in doing so, they lost sight of what users actually wanted: a beautiful, low-effort way to display meaningful images.

BLOOMIN8: A Frame That’s Not About Memories — But About Beauty

This is where BLOOMIN8 stands apart. Rather than pile on features, its creators focused on one thing: elegant visual presentation.

The frame uses E-Ink Spectra 6, an advanced display technology that supports six colors (red, green, blue, yellow, black, white). Compared to the traditional black-and-white E-Ink screens, this means richer saturation, deeper contrast, and an almost paper-like viewing experience — all while consuming nearly no power. In fact, according to the company, a single charge can last for years, and even when the battery dies, the last image remains visible.

To enhance privacy and user control, BLOOMIN8 offers image uploads via app, SD card, or even local integration with Home Assistant, an open-source home automation platform that respects user data and works with various smart home devices.

Interestingly, BLOOMIN8 isn’t just about nostalgia. Inspired by the “moving paintings” from Harry Potter, the product was designed as a platform for art display, not just memory preservation. It comes in three frame sizes, compatible with IKEA’s RÖDALM line, and is optimized for visual art — especially AI-generated art.

This art-first approach aligns with the background of the creators, Shenzhen-based Arpobot, founded by a team of University of Melbourne alumni. Their first product, Smart Shade, was a motorized curtain system developed during COVID-19 lockdowns — also designed with modularity, privacy, and local integration in mind.

The Role of AI — Real Utility or Just a Gimmick?

BLOOMIN8 also includes AI-driven features in its app — text-to-image generation, image-to-video transformation, randomized style recommendations — aiming to support personalized art curation. However, some early backers have raised concerns about these tools feeling more like a gimmick than a useful feature.

Still, it’s an intriguing direction. In a world increasingly filled with generative art and algorithmic content, smart frames may shift from displaying memories to curating beauty — and AI could play a key role in that transition.

Final Thoughts

At this point, calling BLOOMIN8 a “smart frame” might be underselling it. It’s not about reliving the past. It’s about appreciating the present — and projecting beauty, not just memories.

That clarity of purpose — focused on display quality, low power usage, and aesthetic design — helped this young Shenzhen team raise over ¥11.3 million (approx. $1.56 million USD) in crowdfunding. But with future updates already promised (like weather widgets and to-do lists), it remains to be seen whether BLOOMIN8 can stay true to its vision or get pulled into the feature-bloat trap that has tripped up so many others.

Reproduction Notice:

This article is a translated and edited version of the original published by 白鲸出海 (White Whale Global) with author and publisher permission. All rights reserved to the original author. Translation and adaptation by GOVOLAT SL.

Image source: citymagazine