The Nanoleaf bulbs are my first Thread Enabled HomeKit accessory! Along with many others, I have been waiting for these bulbs to come back into stock, they have been so popular. I searched the Apple Store recently and I was so happy to find they were available so I scooped up three!
Why are these lights so hard to find in stock? What is so special about the Nanoleaf Essential light bulb?
3 reasons come to mind:
- PRICE – Here in Canada, I got these bulbs for $26.95 on the Apple Online Store as compared to Philips Hue which sells for $59.99. That is more than double! So, will these lights be only half as good as Hue? Well, I hope not, but we’ll find out.
- Design – These look awesome. I love that Nanoleaf came up with a creative design that really fits their brand. The 120-sided shape, is known as a Rhombicosidodecahedron…you might enjoy watching me try to pronounce that one in my Nanoleaf YouTube video.
- Thread Support – I hope this will eventually be a standard feature because all accessories will have Thread, but right now, there are not many. By now I’m sure you’ve heard all about thread, if not, here it is in a Nutshell:
- Low Energy (Not as applicable as for lights but great for battery operated accessories)
- Faster than Bluetooth and Wifi
- Better range than Bluetooth and often WiFi
- Self healing… Thread devices communicate with each other to create a more reliable network.
- To use Thread you need a HomePod mini with acts as border router, eventually I am sure Thread will expand to other devices.
- If you don’t have a HomePod mini, the Nanoleaf bulbs will still connect with Bluetooth, they will just be a little slower and less reliable. If you don’t have a HomePod mini… I highly recommend you get one. Either way, these bulbs will connect to whatever you have without adjusting any settings. If you don’t have a HomePod mini they will connect via Bluetooth and if you get a HomePod down the road, they will just automatically connect via thread. Easy.
Here is a Spec Comparison:
Colour:
Nano: Industry Standard 16M Colours
Hue: Industry Standard 16M Colours
Lifetime:
Nano: 2500 hrs
Hue: 2500 hrs
Dimming:
Nano: 1-100%
Hue: 1-100%
Colour Temperature:
Nano: 2700-6500K
Hue: 2000-6500K
Brightness:
Nano: 806lm
Hue: 800lm
Adaptive Lighting:
Nano: Yes
Hue Yes
Overall, I really love the Nanoleaf bulbs. They are great in exposed lighting fixtures such as desk and floor lamps. The design looks really modern and the colours add such nice ambiance to any room. I do still love my Philips Hue bulbs because they also have great vibrant colours and they are fast and reliabe. You can also couple the Philips Hue bulb with an Aurora switch to avoid the dreaded “Not responding” message if someone were to flick the physical wall switch off by accident. The price point of the Nanoleaf bulb along with Thread compatibility make for a pretty awesome combination and I highly recommend these bulbs… if you can find them in stock.
I hope you found this information and comparison helpful! Thanks for reading and talk to you soon!