Nanoleaf has introduced a new line of products dubbed Essentials, featuring smart bulbs and LED strips.
The new devices are a step away from the modular wall-mounted light panels Nanoleaf is known for into more functional, day to day smart home lighting territory.
Nanoleaf Functionality in a Less Flashy Package
Nanoleaf's new product line currently only features two devices, both aimed at smart home integration. The Essentials A19 Bulb claims to be the brightest white lighting currently available at 1100 Lumens, with an average brightness of 806 Lumens.
It can be tuned between warm whites for the evening and cool whites for day time. Its RGBW color range supports over 16 million combinations. The A19 bulb uses 9 watts of power and has a 25,000-hour lifespan.
The Essentials Lightstrip comes in 40 and 80-inch variants, with a max brightness of 2,200 Lumens and average brightness of 2000 Lumens. In contrast to the A19 bulb, the LED strips are RGBCCWW, meaning they have dedicated channels for warm and cool white light. This is important, as dedicated LEDs for each make a big difference to user perception.
Both products use the Thread low-power low-latency Wi-Fi system, a relatively new face on the smart home market and a competitor to Zigbee. Bluetooth connectivity is also possible, though it appears traditional Wi-Fi support isn't available.
Lightstrips share the 25,000-hour lifespan of the A19 bulb and draw 30 watts of power, they have an inline controller for operating them by hand, but given Nanoleaf's connectivity, you'll likely not be using it much.
Nanoleaf Essentials Connectivity
Nanoleaf products support a wide range of connectivity options. What's notable about the Essentials line is that they don't seem to have the same device support as other Nanoleaf products. Apple HomeKit has the best integration at present and is the only smart home device that can act as a hub using Thread. Google Nest Wi-Fi devices have the hardware to use Thread, but the functionality isn't available to users yet.
Surprisingly, not even Nanoleaf's own desktop app supports the Essentials line, though the mobile app does. The biggest omission, for the time being, is the lack of Alexa integration. It's apparently coming early next year, but it seems quite an oversight for a product range designed to take on the Philips hue range.
The Nanoleaf Essentials A19 bulb costs $19.99, and the Essentials Lightstrip starts at $24.99. Both are available directly from the Nanoleaf shop, though at the time of writing, the US store was sold out.
Move Over Philips?
The new essentials range is a clear contender to Philips Hue products, with similar pricing and seemingly less hassle once full support is rolled out. Nanoleaf made its name with modular and interactive smart lighting panels, and those already using them will be tempted to see how they approach regular lighting.
Thread is quite a new technology (at least in consumer devices), and it remains to be seen how widely it is adopted as an alternative to Zigbee. One thing is certain: Nanoleaf's seamless integration with Apple HomeKit is one of the few ways Apple stands out from the smart speaker crowd.
