Our Verdict
The Nanoleaf Shapes Extremely Black Hexagons are good for darkish partitions and gaming rooms the place you need to add a splash of shade. The LED panels give out a vibrant gentle, which you’ll be able to simply change with presets, a bodily faucet or extra superior app management. They don’t seem to be the most affordable possibility available on the market, and may very well be brighter, however I am nonetheless impressed at how a lot they brighten my room and my temper.
- Mild colours are vibrant
- Magic Scene program is superb
- Black panels make a press release when off
- Black energy wire ugly on gentle partitions
- Connection generally buggy
As LED lighting know-how has improved, turn into extra environment friendly, and extra clever with app connectivity, its worth has decreased. There’s an enormous vary of LED lighting choices to jazz up your gaming house or residence, whether or not you stick the perfect LED strip lights round a monitor or desk, or adorn your partitions with LED panels just like the Nanoleaf Shapes collection.
I’ve typically discovered lighting for avid gamers to be on the plastic and cheesy aspect – as when you can’t take pleasure in gaming and good design concurrently. However Nanoleaf does issues in another way, creating lights and decor that really feel proper in a contemporary residence, or a gaming setup. If you wish to add colourful accents to your partitions, and also you need to have the ability to hyperlink them as much as your good units for complete management and customization, you might need been taking a look at Nanoleaf’s Shapes assortment.
The Shapes Restricted Version Extremely Black Hexagons Starter Equipment consists of 9 panels, which you’ll be able to prepare in a number of other ways in your wall with sticky adhesive pads. You may as well add to your setup later if you’d like an even bigger panel. On this assessment, I’ll share my trustworthy experiences of organising the Extremely Black Hexagons panels, what they’re like to make use of, and importantly, what they seem like in actual life when the sunshine is on and off.
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Specs
Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons Starter Equipment specs:
Contact management | Sure |
Display mirror | Sure |
Music Sync | Sure |
Dimmable | Sure |
Connectivity | WiFi (2.4 GHz) |
Management | Nanoleaf App (Android/iOS), Desktop App (Home windows/Mac) |
Compatibility | Apple Dwelling, Amazon Alexa, Google Dwelling, IFTTT, Nanoleaf Distant, SmartThings, Razer Chroma |
Lifetime | 25,000 hours |
Options
What makes the Extremely Black Shapes completely different from their customary white counterparts is that they’re a restricted version set. They provide the entire identical options as the usual Shapes Hexagons in white. They’re ultra-thin, slot collectively, and stick on the wall to create a sample of your selecting. As soon as mounted in place and plugged in, they are often managed in a myriad of various methods. There’s a easy Nanoleaf smartphone app that works over WiFi (2.4 GHz solely), Music Sync mode that reacts to sounds and sick tunes, and Display Mirror to match what’s in your gaming monitor or TV.
What’s nice about shopping for right into a well-established ecosystem just like the Nanoleaf Shapes is which you can customise your setup and make it larger additional down the road. For instance, the Starter Equipment I examined had 9 panels, however growth packs (three hexagons every) can help you make it larger additional down the road. The white model of Nanoleaf’s Hexagons must also work with the Extremely Black variations, though aesthetically I wrestle to see how they’d gel with their smooth, darker counterparts. That may simply be my style, although.
Set up
You don’t want any instruments to put in the Extremely Black Hexagons on a wall. Sticky strips are supplied within the field, and these are robust sufficient to carry every panel securely. You’ll need to plan what sample you’re going with first, because it’s more durable to take away a panel when you’ve caught it down firmly. You additionally have to determine the place to place the controller (this could assist as much as 500 panels) and energy cable (this could energy as much as 21).
One technique for planning your structure is to make use of a tape measure and lay the triangles flat in entrance of you, however Nanoleaf additionally has a structure assistant when you’re caught for house. I discovered this pretty cooperative, and it made it simple to discover a structure I used to be proud of. There are additionally preset designs you may copy. I made a decision to pop the ability cable on the far proper of my design in order that I might tuck it behind a bookcase out of sight.
Design
As soon as the panels are mounted, you would possibly discover a number of fingerprints have made their manner onto the floor. That’s as a result of the matte black end is of course extra of a fingerprint magnet than the white, however this isn’t a significant downside until you’re urgent down on them extremely onerous with the touch-reactive characteristic.
Being so skinny at 0.24 inches (0.6 cm) means the panels sit flush to the wall and don’t protrude far out when seen from the aspect. And at 9 inches (23 cm) throughout, I used to be surprisingly happy with simply how a lot wall my starter package lined. Out of curiosity, the Shapes Triangles cowl simply as a lot floor, however I desire the look of the blocky hexagons.
Provided that I’m reviewing the restricted version Extremely Black model of Nanoleaf’s Shapes, it’s price saying that this colorway comes with plus and minus factors. The black matte coating covers the entire panel, and the mounting plates, controller, and wire are jet black too. You don’t get any stray bits of white paint across the again or edges, and it doesn’t appear possible that this coating will peel or flake off both. In brief, the panels really feel well-made and strong, but gentle sufficient that I didn’t fear about them falling off the wall.
Efficiency
The Nanoleaf Extremely Black Shapes set a brand new customary of what wall hangings ought to seem like when the lights go darkish, however they’re not good. Whereas the all-black aesthetic could be very refined, I discovered this considerably hinders the LED protection throughout the entire panel. There’s some inconsistency throughout the panel, and whereas this doesn’t break the impact, it’s extra noticeable than I’d have preferred.
The unique Nanoleaf Shapes are a number of the brightest RGB LEDs I’ve used, however white is of course higher at reflecting gentle. I used to be involved the Extremely Black mannequin wouldn’t have the ability to match its predecessor, they usually’re slightly dimmer than the white model. Which means lighter colours like pure white, yellow, and peach can seem barely muddier than the white panels up shut. I wasn’t dissatisfied with the vibrancy of daring colours like vibrant blue and pink.
There are lots of methods to management the Form’s lighting, that are all fast and simple. First, there’s the built-in controller snapped onto the aspect of your panels. This works properly for fast modifications and faucets on and off, however you may’t customise your scenes utilizing it and it requires you to get out of your chair. Then there are the desktop apps for Home windows and Mac, and the cell apps for Android and iOS, the latter being the choice I used most continuously. On the Primary tab, you may select a shade temperature (1200K – 6500K) or stable hue from an RGBw palette, however I liked having the ability to flick between presets on the Scenes tab immediately. The Shapes are additionally suitable with Apple Dwelling, Google Dwelling, Alexa, and – to the enjoyment of Razer avid gamers, Razer Chroma. I used Apple Dwelling alongside the Nanoleaf app and located the management extra restricted however dependable.
Sensible lighting panels aren’t designed to light up an entire room, so don’t anticipate the Extremely Black shapes to do that both, even at full brightness (100 lumens per panel). There are some daring choices on there, however Daylight and Studying Mild have been my most-used Scenes for setting a little bit of ambiance. It’s additional proof that the Extremely Black Shapes aren’t only for avid gamers, however a product that sits completely within the Sensible Lighting house for common inside decorators.
Do you have to purchase?
I’d advocate the Nanoleaf Extremely Black Shapes if:
- You’ve obtained darkish partitions: I mounted the Hexagons Starter Equipment on a darkish navy matte wall (Hague Blue when you have been questioning). The matte black of the panels blends in fantastically, as does the ability wire, however I feel they’d look oppressive on a lightweight wall.
- You’re a gamer: The Nanoleaf Shapes work notably properly with the Razer Chroma RGB ecosystem, in addition to each different good residence system on the market.
- You need ambient gentle: The Extremely Black shapes aren’t vibrant sufficient to gentle up a big room on their very own. However they’re price it for creatives who need one thing extra daring than white panels.
Options
In case you’re uncertain whether or not Nanoleaf’s Extremely Black Shapes are best for you, try these options.