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Nanoleaf Review: Experimenting With Two Gamer LED Bulbs

Nanoleaf sent us a pair of LED lights from their Essentials Matter Smart Bulbs collection to experiment with throughout the home.

Nanoleaf has always been pretty good at creating in-home lighting options for people who are looking to add a little color and also incorporate some energy-saving lights into their home life. Over the years, we've been fortunate enough to review a few of their wall-mounted lights, which have given us a futuristic home to a degree as we control the lighting on a mobile app. As well as giving us some of the best lighting tech toi link up to gaming and set the mood as we play. The company sent us two different models of their Essentials Matter Smart Bulbs to review recently, with the A19 and BR30. We tried both out around the house, and here's what we thought of them.

So right off the bat, let's address what exactly these are. Both of them are LED lights designed to provide different methods of illumination, depending on what you need for the area. Both of them are designed to use less energy while providing the same amount of light a normal bulb would, with additional options for control. They fit into any light socket and use the home's energy to power them. There's no internal battery storage; it operates the way any other bulb would, with the added benefit of having the ability to change colors and brightness levels on an RGB+W scale and be controlled remotely via Bluetooth or Wi-fi networks. There are a few different ways to utilize them, such as the Matter system or Apple Home, but the best way to control them is via their free app, which you can download from almost every shop.

Starting with the A19, this is more of the traditional bulb you'd install in any home. It has an 806lm brightness to it and can last over 25,000 hours, using only 9 watts of energy. So not only does it offer a decent brightness to it, it's energy-efficient. The BR30 is a wider, flat light, the kind you'd see in specialty rigged lighting or outdoor lights. This one offers 730lm, lasting over 25,000 hours, and only uses 8.5 watts. So a slightly dimmer light with a broader cast using a little less power than the other. Both bulbs come with a few different options on the app. The first allows you to do Basic colors, which means it will open up a color wheel for you to choose the shade and brightness level for a stationary color. The second is Scenes, in which you can download free per-programmed options where the bulb will change color based on the scene chosen. So if you want, you can make the room look like a part in whatever style you want.

The third option is Primary lighting, which is built into all of them as part of the Scenes. You have the option of making it look like a standard light bulb when you don't want things to be colorful. The three options you have, from lowers to brightest, are Warm Light, Reading Light, and Daylight. All three offer a standard look that you would get from regular lightbulbs, depending on what you want. Only here you can change the mood and what you need on a whim through the app instead of choosing a single bulb and having only that option.

Both of them operated well; I didn't really have any issues controlling them and getting them to change whatever colors I wanted. The only lingering issues were when Nanoleaf sent out updates. Often times I would find myself downloading the same firmware 4-5 times and the app telling me the update was rejected or failed. I basically had to put my phone right under the light for it to acknowledge the update. The app itself has issues and could use some retooling, but that's a minor issue that doesn't take away from the bulbs themselves. Both make for decent lighting options and are well worth it if you're looking to make your place a smart home that you can control from anywhere. That said, they are a little on the pricey side, as the A19 will run you $20, and the BR30 will cost you $50. So it's up to you if the control, color options, lifespan, and energy usage are worth the cost.

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