Nano Hexagon smart lights review: Amazing look but steep price

They’re a new, unique way to add light and interest to a room but tech expert Elly Awesome was “taken aback” by the price.

REVIEW

The new Nanoleaf Elements Wood Look Hexagon smart lights are pretty exciting. At this point there’s nothing else that’s really competing with the design of this product, so it really caught my attention.

It’s likely you’re familiar with smart light bulbs, LED strips and coloured light panels that can be controlled by remotes, smartphone apps, or even smart hubs (with voice control) – but these are a totally new style of panel.

These smart wood-look hexagonal panels are an exciting alternative for those looking to adorn their home with a unique feature wall, while staying away from the somewhat tired coloured RGB (red, green and blue) lighting setups. These certainly seem to give off an elegant vibe so I was keen to get these up on my wall.

Unboxing

When opening the box you will find seven wood-look hexagon panels, a whole lot of linkers (to connect the panels together), a small control panel and a power cable.

To get setup you’ll need to download the Nanoleaf Smarter Series app (for Android or iOS), scan a QR code that comes in the box and follow in-app instructions.

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Unboxing the Nanoleaf Elements Wood Look Hexagon smart lights.

This is all pretty straightforward, but you do need a smartphone or tablet for this process. It’s possible to use these lights without the app but it’s not as customisable if you do not pair these in-app and to your Wi-Fi network.

Set up

There are loads of ways you can position these panels, which gives you plenty of room to customise the look of your setup. And these can be stuck onto the walls with the pre-installed adhesives on each tile.

I’m also happy to report it’s a singular adhesive patch for each hexagon, which makes it a lot less finicky to stick onto the wall compared to previous designs. The panels can also be removed from the wall easily leaving a ‘mounting plate’ behind (where the adhesive is stuck) for quick adjustments or repairs.

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Elly Awesome pleased after an easy setup.

Once I decided on a layout, I stuck these onto the wall without the help of anyone else and I have to say these lights looked fantastic on my wall and they’re only 0.6cm thin, making them look quite seamless.

Touch controls

All of these panels are generally controlled as a group using the app or physical control panel but you’re also able to touch or swipe directly on these panels to control them. For example, you can assign a double tap to turn the lights off or on, or swipe up over the faux wooden panel to increase their brightness. This doesn’t require force and it’s a really pleasant way to interact with these lights.

You can swipe directly on the panels to control them or use the app.

The lights also have a bunch of in-built preset ‘scenes’ where they will pulse or even flicker like a fireplace or they can light up to match the beat of your music. The lights’ colour ranges from a stark orange to a white light (no other colours) and the brightness can be adjusted on the lights, control panel or in the app.

Worth it?

Overall, these panels bring a warm and cosy atmosphere to any room and offer a comfortable soft glow in the evenings.

I absolutely love how they look now that these are installed, though I can’t help but feel a little taken aback by their price point. At $429 they feel at least $100 too steep. However, the unique touch pads, in-built technology and in-app customisation is pretty nifty and they’ve certainly made a noteworthy addition to my lounge room.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawwesome | YouTube