Why You Can Trust CNET Wood-look LED light panels bring the warmth of the outdoors inside
Meet Nanoleaf Elements.
The seven-panel kit costs a whopping $300.
Nanoleaf on Thursday added to its array of modular light panels with Elements. The new Elements LED wall panels deviate from the colorful hexagonal tiles my colleague Ry Crist wrote up last year -- or any of Nanoleaf's other iterations, namely the inaugural Aurora panels and the square Canvas panels.
This version, available for sale now on Nanoleaf's site and at other retailers later this year, is decidedly muted in tone with a "wood-look" finish and an adjustable white light color temperature. The seven-panel starter pack will set you back $300; three-panel expansion kits cost $100.
No color-changing capabilities
The modular wall tiles can be arranged however you like.
In contrast to Nanoleaf's other panels, Elements can't change colors. Instead, the panels are limited to adjustable white light color temperatures ranging from a warm orange/red-toned 1,500K to a cool blue-toned 4,000K. I haven't tested Elements out for myself yet, but this means you should be able to customize your white light based on the time of day, your activity and the mood you want to set. (Read our color temperature guide for more information.)
Elements works with 11 preset white light scenes like "Fireplace" and "Calming Waterfall." You can make your own scenes too. Nanoleaf says the new panels are also compatible with its color-changing scenes, "with colors recalibrated into white lighting using unique mapping technology that's built into the panels."
Some things are the same
Like previous Nanoleaf panels, Elements is Wi-Fi-enabled and controlled in the Nanoleaf app or with the included controller. It supports existing Nanoleaf features, including:
- Circadian Lighting: Automatically shifts the color temperature of the panels over the course of the day.
- Rhythm Music Sync: Syncs the light panels with music as it plays.
- Schedules: Customize when and how your Elements LED panels turn on and off.
- Touch: Control the lights, change the light pattern and play games with a touch.
Elements works with Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit voice commands, as well as with SmartThings and IFTTT.
An Elements starter kit costs $300 (Nanoleaf calls it a Smarter Kit). The Smarter Kit includes seven light panels, a controller and a power adapter. Three-panel expansion kits cost $100 each. Elements panels are only available on Nanoleaf's site right now. Later this month, they'll be sold at Best Buy and at Apple stores later in 2021.
I'm intrigued by Elements, but $300 is also a lot to spend for seven light panels, no matter how neat they are. Nanoleaf's color-changing Hexagon Smarter Kit costs $200 -- that's still pricey but significantly less than Elements. We'll try it out for ourselves shortly to weigh in on whether Elements is really worth it.
