Nanoleaf sent me their Essentials Smart Light Bulbs to feature. All opinions are my own.
Smart light bulbs are one of those home upgrades that can add some cool functionality to your space without requiring any complicated installation. I’ve been looking into Nanoleaf’s Essentials Smart Light Bulbs as a potential gift idea or home upgrade, and what caught my attention is how much functionality they pack into what looks like a regular light bulb.
Matter-Enabled Compatibility
One thing I really appreciate about these bulbs is that they’re Matter-enabled, which basically means they’re compatible with all major smart home ecosystems. This helps futureproof your setup – you’re not locked into one specific system. You can control them directly through the Nanoleaf app without needing a separate hub, or you can connect them to your existing smart home setup by scanning the Matter QR code. Just note that they only work with 2.4GHz networks, not 5G.
Color Options and Brightness
These bulbs offer over 16 million colors, which sounds excessive until you realize it means you can get exactly the shade you want for any mood or occasion. You can create custom color-changing animations – transition colors slowly for ambient lighting, or speed them up for parties or special occasions. The bulbs deliver 1000 lumens with upgraded LED chips, and at 9W they’re equivalent to 60W traditional bulbs while using 85% less energy without losing brightness or color quality.
Practical Features
The scheduling feature is one of those things that makes daily life easier without you having to think about it. You can automate your lights to turn on or off at specific times and days, which is great for making it look like someone’s home when you’re traveling, or for establishing routines. The schedule can be set through the Apple Home app, Google Home app, or any Matter-compatible app.
I’m particularly interested in the Circadian Lighting feature. You can set the bulbs to automatically adjust based on your timezone, removing blue light as evening approaches to naturally prepare you for sleep. This is the kind of subtle but meaningful feature that could genuinely impact sleep quality, especially if you’re someone who struggles with winding down at night.
Entertainment and Control Options
The Screen Mirror feature is pretty cool – through the Nanoleaf Desktop App, the colors from your screen are reflected onto your lights. So when you’re watching movies or playing video games, your lights sync with what’s happening on screen for a more immersive experience.
For control, you can customize everything through the Nanoleaf app (colors, lighting animations, schedules) or use voice control through your smart home assistant. You can also group multiple bulbs together to control them simultaneously, which is convenient if you’re setting up lighting for an entire room or area.
Who Would Love These
These would make a great gift for anyone who’s into smart home tech, loves customizing their living space, or just wants to make their daily routines a bit easier. They’re also perfect for people who have trouble winding down at night – that Circadian Lighting feature could be genuinely helpful. And for anyone who’s into gaming or movie nights, the screen mirroring adds an extra layer of immersion that’s kind of fun.
At the end of the day, smart bulbs are one of those upgrades that add convenience and customization to your home without requiring any complicated installation – you literally just screw them in like regular bulbs. If you’re looking to dip your toes into smart home technology or want to give someone a practical yet interesting gift, these Nanoleaf bulbs offer a lot of functionality at a reasonable entry point.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
It just amazes me how far technology has come! I love that these can be used with any smarthouse!