Discontinued
Netgear has discontinued the Meural Canvas II and it is no longer sold on Amazon.
There is no direct replacement from this brand. This review stays up for people who already own one.
Meural Canvas II by Netgear Review
More art display than photo frame. If you want a digital canvas that doubles as a family photo frame, the Meural is in a class of its own.
- Ongoing cost
- Optional membership
- Storage
- 4 GB free, membership for art library
- Works offline
- Needs Wi-Fi to receive
- Typical price
- Over $200
The catch: Very expensive
Paid link. We earn a commission if you buy, at no cost to you. The price lives on Amazon, not here.
Who it suits
Buy it if
- You want a frame readable from across a room.
Skip it if
- You want zero ongoing cost. This one is optional membership.
- The frame needs to receive new photos without Wi-Fi.
- You want to change things on the frame itself. Everything runs through the app.
- You need it to pull straight from Google Photos.
Straight answers
- Does the Meural Canvas II by Netgear need a subscription?
- Partly. Optional membership. What you get without paying: 4 gb free, membership for art library.
- Does the Meural Canvas II by Netgear work without Wi-Fi?
- It keeps showing photos it already holds, but it cannot receive new ones until it reconnects. Photos arrive through Meural.
- Can I send photos to the Meural Canvas II by Netgear from Google Photos?
- No. It takes photos through Meural App, USB, Web Upload, and does not connect to Google Photos.
- Can several people send photos to the Meural Canvas II by Netgear?
- Yes. Family members send photos through Meural.
- Is the Meural Canvas II by Netgear still available?
- No. It has been discontinued and there is no direct replacement from the same brand.
Specifications
| Screen size | 21.5" |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Touchscreen | No |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Storage | 4 GB free, membership for art library |
| Ongoing cost | Optional membership |
| App | Meural |
| Photos arrive via | Meural App, USB, Web Upload |
Pros and cons
What happens after you buy?
The things that decide whether you are still happy with it in a year.
- Subscription
- Optional. 4 GB free, membership for art library. The frame works without it.
- Photo storage
- 4 GB free, membership for art library
- Works without Wi-Fi
- Keeps showing photos it has already downloaded, but cannot receive new ones without Wi-Fi.
- Family uploads
- Relatives can send photos through Meural App, USB, Web Upload.
- Current model
- Netgear has discontinued the Meural Canvas II and it is no longer sold on Amazon.
What We Like
- 1Massive 21.5-inch museum-quality display
- 2Anti-glare matte screen looks like a real canvas
- 3Gesture control — wave to change art
- 4Access to 30,000+ artwork library
Worth Knowing
- 1Very expensive
- 2Limited photo source connections
- 3Membership fee for full art library access
The full review
The Meural Canvas II was not a typical digital picture frame. It was a 21.5-inch digital art display that could also show your family photos. Netgear has stopped selling it. We did not test it in a lab. This page is built from Netgear's published specs.
Netgear sold it with an anti-glare matte screen made to look like a canvas. That was its biggest selling point.
Instead of a touch screen, it used gesture control. You waved a hand near the frame to change the image, change brightness, or move through menus.
The Meural app let you upload your own photos and set playlists. The bigger draw was the art library. Netgear listed over 30,000 works from museums and artists. A membership gave full access to new collections.
For family photos, you uploaded through the app or USB. The frame did not connect to Google Photos, iCloud, or social media.
It was the most expensive frame on this list by a wide margin. It was built for people who wanted art on the wall that could also show family photos. Netgear no longer sells it, so look at our current picks instead.
If this one is not right
Current models only, and what each does differently.
Aura Carver
10.1" · $100 to $200
Costs nothing after you buy it.
Read the reviewAura Walden
15" · Over $200
Costs nothing after you buy it.
Read the reviewNixplay Classic 10.1" Touch Frame
10.1" · $100 to $200
Has a touchscreen, so no app is needed to change things.
Read the review
How we put this together
Screen, storage, app and connection details come from the maker’s published specs and the Amazon listing. Owner opinions are not part of this page. Subscription terms were last checked in October 2026 and availability in October 2026. We have not run this frame in a lab, and we do not claim measurements we did not take.