Nanoleaf’s first Matter

Jun 14, 2024

Smart lighting manufacturer Nanoleaf is going all-in with the new Matter standard, and the company is already taking pre-orders for its first wave of Matter-compatible lights.

You can place an order now for two Matter-ready products in Nanoleaf’s “Essentials” line: an A19 bulb and a light strip.

The items are slated to ship in April, Nanoleaf says. The Essential A19 bulb will retail for $19.99, while the two-meter light strip “starter kit” sells for $49.99. A one-meter light strip extension lists for $19.99.

More Matter-enabled Essentials lights are coming soon, including a BR30 spotlight in April, while a GU10 downlight and a recessed downlight are set for “late” 2023, according to Nanoleaf.

As with the original Essentials lights, the new A19 bulb and light strip will be able to glow in up to 16 million different colors, along with a tunable-white temperature range from a warm 2,700 Kelvin to a cool 6,500K.

The big difference, of course, is that the new Essentials lights will work with Matter’s “multi-admin” capabilities, which means you’ll be able to configure and control them using your choice of smart home app, including Amazon’s Alexa app, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.

Meanwhile, Nanoleaf confirmed that its existing light panels and light bars, including the Shapes, Elements, Canvas, and Lines products, will get over-the-air Matter updates “later this year.”

The original Essentials line won’t get Matter updates due to hardware limitations, the company previously said.

Bulbs and light strips aren’t the only Matter-enabled lighting products coming from Nanoleaf this year.

Nanoleaf unveiled a slew of upcoming Matter lights and sensors at CES back in January, including two smart light switches and a wireless “learning” bridge that houses a new “Automations Learning Assistant” dubbed Nala.

Also coming soon from Nanoleaf is Skylight, a set of modular light panels designed for mounting on a ceiling, while Nanoleaf 4D combines a light strip with a camera to mirror the colors on your TV screen.

Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.