I tried the Vidabay Snap and this tiny, $30 E Ink frame might just be the worlds most charming fridge magnet

Date:
Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
Vidabay Snap looks like an instant-film print, but it is, in fact, a tiny, magnetic E ink display. So, unlike an actual print, you can change the
picture displayed and easily affix it to a range of surfaces.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter I don't know about you, but my fridge at home is decorated with numerous snapshots of family and friends spanning many years, precariously fixed in place with souvenir fridge
magnets. It's into this mix that I've recently added a few Vidabay Snaps.

A Vidabay Snap looks like an instant-film print, but it is in fact a tiny, magnetic E ink display. So, unlike an actual print, you can change the
picture displayed and easily attach it to a range of surfaces. It's optimized for iPhone (and compatible with various Android devices), and any image from your gallery can be uploaded via the (free) Vidabay app using NFC, whenever you like. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

Think of Vidabay Snaps as, like, tiny digital photo frames , just set within
a Polaroid-style border, and with an E Ink display that's much more basic
than the fabulous Aura Ink .

Vidabay Snaps are available from the Vidabay website in white, black, yellow or red (see below), with prices starting at $29.99 for a single Snap (was $35.99) or $86.99 for a pack of three (was $99.99). Vidabay ships to most regions, including the UK and Australia, and price is calculated at checkout. You may like VidaBay launches battery-free E Ink fridge magnets for
displaying photos Aura Ink frame review: the most lifelike digital photo
frame I've tested Polaroid Hi-Print 3x3 review: a kitschy little printer with bags of color I picked up five Vidabay Snaps, covering each of the four
colors available (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) A genuine instant print from the likes of a Polaroid Go Gen 3 or Fujifilm Instax Mini 13 costs around $1 / 0.80 / AU$1,50 a go much cheaper than a Vidabay Snap. Even pricier (and larger) formats like Polaroid I-Type are around $3 / 2.50 / AU$4.50 per
print, while regular photo prints from the lab are typically the cheapest of the lot. However, the image on a Snap can be changed as often as you like.

I have a small collection of the best instant cameras , and am not short of instant prints to put on my walls (and fridge). And now that it's been a
month since I got my Vidabay Snaps, I can tell you they don't hold the same magic as an instant print. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
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My experience using Vidabay Snaps with an Android phone has been mixed, which I'll unpack next, but there's one fundamental flaw to the product the frames don't display the color blue (not for me, anyway), which is very limiting for color images.

However, I can totally appreciate these neat, low-cost E Ink devices for what they are, and the concept is pretty well executed. And even though they feel pricey compared to prints, I believe Vidabay Snaps are great little gifts. Let's take a look at how they work. How to get started Obtaining an NFC connection between a Snap and my Android phone was very fiddly, but possible (Image credit: Future) To get started, you need to pair a Vidabay Snap with your NFC-enabled device they're optimized for iPhone, but I've done the
whole process with an Android phone. Once that's done, you select the desired picture from your phone's gallery, choose the paired Snap, and then hold the two devices together to upload to the frame. What to read next RewindPix review: the first 'digital film' camera that gets the feel right Stop using your selfie camera try this clever Insta360 accessory instead Polaroid unveils a new way to print and show off your smartphone photos

Using a recent Oppo Find X9 Ultra phone, I found the NFC connection for image uploads which takes around 30 seconds to complete exceptionally fiddly, but persevered for around 15 attempts each time before my first success.

The trick is locating NFC in your device, and Vidabay does point out that not all Android devices will work. The company says there's a Bluetooth dock on the way, which will simplify the process and widen compatibility for Android. Until then, you'll need to check with Vidabay if your device is compatible. I haven't tried a Snap with an iPhone, but I imagine the process will be much easier. Image 1 of 1 The original picture (left), how it will look once
loaded to a Vidabay Snap (middle), and the sight you'll need to get used to image uploading (right) (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) The Snap's display flickers as the uploading image appears, and then there you have it
a lo-fi E ink (aka E Paper) image in a handy magnetic display.

E ink displays like this are typically lo-fi don't expect fine detail or a vibrant and wide color range. Quite the opposite, they don't even display the color blue, meaning that in a photo of my son with two teammates in their blue-and-black-striped soccer gear, the jerseys were essentially monochrome. You can imagine what happened when I attempted to load a photo of a sailboat out on the water on a sunny day. The screenshot (above) demonstrates the difference in quality between an original image and how it appears loaded on
a Snap.

I picked up five Vidabay Snaps and had mixed success. Three of the five
loaded fine (after several attempts); the other two refused to load in color, period, and I eventually gave up. Image 1 of 3 If you pair multiple Snap devices, it can be a minefield remembering which one is which because you can't rename them in the app (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) This particular Snap frame only seemed to want to load in monochrome (Image
credit: Future / Tim Coleman) You can forget images dominated with the color blue (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) The app could also do with some work; there's no way of recomposing / cropping the photo within the square frame, nor can you rename a frame once it's registered. I had five frames all identically named, making it extremely difficult to track which frame was which in the app. Writing a number on the back of each one with a Sharpie was my solution.

Each Vidabay Snap has a magnetic back for attaching to surfaces like a
fridge. It's also fitted with NFC for image uploads and charging. Being a
tiny E Ink display, it consumes next to no power a true lo-fi product. An individual Snap can be purchased with a leatherette tag to attach to
something like your bag, and this bundle costs $48.99.

If you have that sentimental person in your life who happens to be an iPhone user, then Vidabay Snap is an easy, low-cost gift recommendation. Until the Bluetooth dock lands and it proves to address my user experience issues, I'm hesitant to recommend the product for Android users. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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