Looking for a unique setup in your home when it comes to smart lights in order to make a dull wall into a piece of art. We take a closer look at the Nanoleaf Shapes.
The Smart Lighting market has a wide range of brands from the likes of Govee, TP-Link, and Philips to name a few. There are also a few brands on the market that make smart lighting fun like Twinkly who we have reviewed a number of their products. In this review, we take a look at the Nanoleaf shapes which creates wall art and pairs it with smart lighting.
We were recently sent the Nanoleaf Shapes starter kit which currently costs £143 and the Nanoleaf Shapes comes in three different shapes Hexagons, Triangles or Mini Triangles. In this review, we were sent the Hexagon starter kit which also comes in a 5, 9 or 15 pack and we were lucky to receive the 9 pack.
The Nanoleaf shapes are the first product from the brand we have had the chance to review but the brand has a large range that includes:
- Nanoleaf Lines
- Nanoleaf Elements
- Nanoleaf Canvas
- Nanoleaf 4D
- Nanoleaf Skylight
There is also an essentials range that includes:
- Matter Smart Bulbs
- Matter Lightstrips
First Impressions
The Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagon starter kit is 9 ultra-thin panels that allow you to create your own statement lighting and also allow you to mix and match with other Nanolight products such as the Nanolights Elements or you can connect Nanoleaf Triangles or mini triangles in this range to create something even more special.
The Main features of the Nanoleaf Shapes are Screen Mirror, Touch, Schedules, Music Visualizer, Connect+ Technology, Layout Assistant & Smart home compatibility we will go into these features in more detail later in this review.
The starter kit we had comes with 9 hexagon flat panels that connect to each other to create a stylish pattern. You can add up to 21 panels but this will cost you extra to do so.
Cost
The Nanoleaf Shapes come in 3 options for the starter pack we reviewed 5, 9 and 15 panels we got sent the 9 pack. Now the cost of each pack is as follows:
5 Pack Starter kit £95.99
9 Pack Starter kit £143.99
15 Pack Starter Kit £215.99
5,9 and 15-pack options for the Nanoleaf Squares
There are also expansion kits that cost the following:
Individual Panels – £22.99
3-panel Expansion pack – £39.99
25-panel Expansion pack – £429.99
Now they do have a wide range of other products but you can explore them via the Nanoleaf website- https://nanoleaf.me/en-GB/
Design
Nanoleaf shapes are one of the offerings but they also have the Canvas and light panel and new elements to the range. The Nanoleaf Shapes come in 3 shapes:
- Hexagon
- Triangle
- Mini Triangle
You can buy all 3 and mix and match them to create unique designs. Now each panel provides its own light and is also touch-sensitive allowing them to function independently of each other.
Example of what you can do with all 3 available shapes
Flip the panel over and there are slots in which you can add a provided linker which connects each panel to the other and provides it power and connectivity so they can work together as one. You must note that you can not just connect all the panels together and stick them on your wall.
Set-up requires you to clean the wall of any dust and it is then worth planning where you want to position the Nanoleaf. You need to make sure there is at least one linker to each panel before sticking to the wall.
What you will notice and its quite the benefit is the panels are not just modular they’re easy to dismount as well if you want to try a different design. It’s also worth considering where you attach the control panel that the power cord is strategically positioned. It should not distract you from the aesthetic you want to achieve.
Setup/ Unboxing
Setting up the Nanoleaf Shapes is so easy each panel is attached to the wall via a series of plastic connectors used to provide power to each panel.
You then stick each panel to the wall using the provided double-sided foam fixing pads to the wall. Nanoleaf suggests you avoid wallpaper walls and so we placed them on my painted wall. Once you have removed the cover on the double-sided pads you should hold it in place while also doing circular movements to make sure the whole pad is connected to your wall do this for about 30 seconds.
You do have the option to purchase a screw mount kit if you wanted but it’s not needed as I found the fixing pads work really well. You will also notice you are provided with a controller that fits onto the panel of your choice as long as you are close to a plug socket as the controller also have the power lead connected to it.
The controller unit has the following buttons:
- Power Switch
- Pairing Switch
- Plus or Minus for adjusting brightness
- Music Visualiser
Now the buttons offer a satisfying click when pressed but you will also notice all the buttons have raised icons so you can feel which button is which if it was quite dark.
The overall set-up is so easy that once you connect two pieces together the app automatically picks that up and thanks to the intuitive setup process. This allows you to see what the arrangement will look like and also help you create a scene that works really well.
Features
The features are where Nanoleaf shine you are provided with a bag full of tricks from the simplest they are a solid set of lights. Dig a little deeper and you have a music visualiser feature that dances to the beat of the song very cool. Something to consider if you want to use this feature the music should be at least 60% volume for the Nanoleaf to pick up.
The app also comes with a fitness/Fun element believe it or not. You can install games that require you to take advantage of the touch controls. Think of that game Whack-a-mole but without the need to hit the targets so hard. This offers a very good sensory experience.
Nanoleaf also offers an interesting feature if you connect the shapes with your TV or Monitor the lights reflect what occurs on the scream this is a very cool feature that will add something special when watching a film or when you’re playing a round of Call of Duty.
Last but not least it won’t come as a surprise but the Nanoleaf shapes are smart home compatible so they will link up with your Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa set up and it is also compatible with Apple HomeKit & IFTTT allowing you to link this up to your smart home set up in seconds.
Performance
The Nanoleaf Shapes and the app go hand in hand and in our testing, we found the app really easy to use. There are a number of presets for different scenarios and you can also download other creations if you need a little inspiration. If you wanted to create a more complex design the app has your back for example creating layered scenes it offers some comprehensive tutorials which allow you to become a Nanoleaf master.
You can also purchase extra shapes like triangles or mini triangles and they can be combined to create more complex designs. I have actually ordered some of the Mini triangles to make the design I have even more complex and creative designs and will update this review when they arrive.
The Nanoleaf shapes are incredibly responsive regardless of the way you use them either via the app, your smart assistant or simply just touching them. I was also impressed with the responsiveness of the rhythm mode just note you do need to pump up the volume to get them to really pick up the music anything under 40% volume I found problematic.
Speaking of Rhythm mode if you have not guessed it the panels react to sound frequencies so they go react regardless of if you’re watching a film, video gaming or listening to some music and dancing to the rhythm.
Moving on to the touch performance you are provided with a seamless way to control the panels on the fly but this is also great fun. To activate the touch controls you can simply tap or swipe on the panels to adjust the brightness or scenes.
There is also the Apple HomeKit functionality which allows you to control the panels via touch but also uses each panel as a smart button for things such as turning on the lights in a different room or turning on your smart TV.
Now the controller is also really useful and can be used by touch as well each button has a different function. Now the functions vary depending on if it’s a single or double tap or if you simply hold the button. Now tapping the dim and brighten buttons at the same time will activate white lighting mode and will cycle through the different white light presets.
Verdict
My experience with the Nanoleaf has been a very positive one they are a great little offering if you want to prove an upgrade to your living room or in my case my new work-from-home office. The Nanoleaf shapes instantly offer the room a little extra and get rid of a boring white wall and replace it with an interactive piece of art that you created.
I was very impressed with the sensory experience we have a 3-week-old baby and he seems very engaged by the changing lights and colours. When he is older am sure he will find the games you can play with them very enjoyable.
My 17-year-old son seems to benefit from the music visualiser feature which dances along to his music and he also found the fact via the app you can use create schedules throughout the day from sunrise to sunset. We also found the Nanoleaf to be a massive upgrade on other smart home products out there and are really stuck if we prefer Nanoleaf over Twinkly so to prevent a fight we will keep both brands.
I think the benefit of Nanoleaf over Twinkly is they offer a more grander experience but together you have a fantastic smart lighting combination. I also like the fact you purchase expansion packs and can also purchase other shapes like triangles and mini triangles if you really want to create something special.
The only real negative when it comes to the Nanoleaf Shapes is the price and this is the same with Twinkly as well. What you are getting is premium-grade products at a premium price.
As well as the price if you do buy the Nanoleaf shapes you need to consider location first it’s essential to be near a power socket the other if you have wallpaper the foam fixing pads could cause damage to your walls. So if you wanted to fix a wallpaper wall you would have to use the mounting kit which costs an additional cost but is well worth it.
The Nanoleaf shapes are an excellent interactive smart lighting option that allows you to get creative with the connect+ technology and I was also impressed with features such as touch control, Music Sync and the screen mirror functions. So if you can look past the slightly expensive price point they are an excellent investment that will turn a plain wall into a piece of interactive art.
Product Rating
Cost: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Setup: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars – 4.6 stars
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