Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip Review – A really bright future

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip Review – By now you should have known that Nanoleaf has extended their product line to more than just light canvas and panels (though I really like their Nanoleaf Canvas). For a start, these Nanoleaf smart bulbs are good for the price and they support Thread & Apple HomeKit.

But if having cool, elegant lightstrip running around your house is more of your thing, not to worry because the new Nanoleaf Essentials product line has included a really good, bright lightstrip.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip Review – Packaging & Unboxing

The Nanoleaf Lightstrip Starter Kit includes a 2 metre RGBCW, Self-Adhesive Lightstrip and also a physical controller which is quite handy if you want to turn the lightstrip on and off really quick (while you are on bed, for example). But of course, you can use the app and also Siri to control the lights with your voice.

The controller itself has a 7 built-in varieties of warm and cool white, along with brightness increase and decrease.

I was also given the Lightstrip Extension along with the Lightstrip Starter Kit here to review, but the Extension can be purchased separately for $AU39.99 which will extend your lightstrip to a further of 1 metre.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip Review – Design & Features

The lightstrip itself has a good cable length from the power point to the start of the first strip. This allows me to have the lightstrip further away from the power point on the wall if I want to, and offers a more flexible setup.

You can cut the strip at the designated places and it’s pretty much easy to setup, just like any other lightstrips in the market in general. Once I scan the product barcode with the Nanoleaf app, everything is up and running. The lightstrip is also added automatically to Apple Home where you can assign a room that it’s in and set home automation up.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip is Thread-enabled but at the moment, utilising this is out of the picture unless you have an Apple HomePod Mini at home. Without Thread, it relies on Bluetooth connection as it doesn’t have a separate bridge like Philips HUE or a built-in Wi-Fi like LIFX. Tested on Bluetooth, it takes 3-5 seconds for the lightstrip to respond on a Siri command – which is not that bad.

One thing I noticed the moment I turned it on, was how bright the lightstrip LEDs are. In fact, I think Nanoleaf’s lightstrip is the brightest among the other lightstrips I’ve ever had at home (Hue Lightstrip Plus, LIFX Z LED Strip, Yeelight Aurora Lightstrip Plus, and CONNECT Smart Strip Light).

At 2,200 lumens maximum brightness, it can go really, really bright which means you can use it to lit an entire room. It supports up to 16 million colours too so you can tweak the colour to match the mood you want.

I was planning to use the Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip inside our Master Bedroom, behind our bed. It actually creates a really nice ambiance to the room after setting it up on the floor.

However, I then realised I have a few Alexa smart devices inside the room and since Nanoleaf Essential Lightstip sadly does not support Alexa, I’ve decided to move the lightstrip somewhere else. This is because we usually ask Alexa through the Echo Show 5 to turn our bedroom lights off before bed. Since the lightstrip does not support Alexa voice commands, we’d still have to use Siri (or Google Assistant, or the app) to turn the lightstrip off. Having to trigger two voice assistants in a room to turn the lights off is quite an incovenience.

So, I’ve decided to set the lightstrip along the walkway in our study area and surprised at how it can also lit the entire study area, along with the other smart lights I’ve set up there. The room is so much brighter now that working (or gaming) on my main computer in the evening feels more comfortable on the eyes.

You can create a customised schedule to turn the lightstrip on and off automatically, or enable the Circadian Lighting feature which will change the temperature and brightness as the day goes by.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip Review Conclusion

The Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip is a bright, affordable lightstrip that supports Apple HomeKit (plus Google Assistant) and comes with its own physical controller. Placing the light controller next to your bed, on the wall or table means you have an easy, quick access to turn the lightstrip on and off, or change its colour without having to reach your phone and open the app.

It’s also Thread-enabled which is future proof if you don’t have an Apple HomePod mini lying around, but even with Bluetooth, you only need to wait a few seconds before the lightstrip responds.

It’s easy to setup, easy to use, and definitely the brightest lightstrip I’ve ever encountered and reviewed so far here at Craving Tech.

So if you are looking for a bright lightstrip that supports Apple HomeKit and comes from a well-known brand, the Nanoleaf Essentials Lighstrip is it. It retails for AU$99.99 and available now for purchase at Nanoleaf Australia’s website and retailers like JB Hi-Fi.

Disclosure: Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip review sample was supplied for reviewing

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip Review
Overall
4.5

Summary

A really bright lightstrip that supports Thread and Apple HomeKit from Nanoleaf

Pros

  • Thread support
  • Apple HomeKit & Google Assistant support
  • Very bright with a maximum of 2,200 lumens 
  • Can be extended
  • Includes a physical control
  • Quite affordable for an Apple HomeKit lightstrip

Cons

  • Doesn’t support Alexa
  • Without Thread, it’ll take a few seconds to respond through Bluetooth
Share via
Copy link