When you’ve got a set that you just need to showcase, whether or not it is high-end sneakers, costly collectible vinyl figures, or one thing else you need to draw consideration to, Nanoleaf’s EXPO Sensible LED Show Circumstances are value trying out. They’re priced at $270 for a pack of 4, with extra growth instances accessible for $63.
The EXPO Sensible Circumstances are LED outfitted show packing containers for collectibles. They’re rectangular, with white plastic sides and clear plastic on the entrance and the again. The entrance panel opens up in order that objects might be positioned inside.
By way of dimension and form, they remind me of the shoe packing containers that folks get to retailer their sneakers. They’re slightly below 15 inches lengthy, 11.4 inches deep, and eight.7 inches tall. The within measurements are a bit smaller, so you may have about 7.5 inches in peak. The peak has been essentially the most limiting think about my testing, since taller collectible objects will not match inside. For footwear, which these instances are positively designed for, you possibly can match as much as a dimension 15 sneaker. Nanoleaf has a information on what other forms of issues match inside, however there is not a point out of a weight restrict. Most collectibles that can match aren’t wildly heavy, and the instances are sturdy, so weight most likely will not be a priority for most individuals.
These ship in flat-packed, and every field needs to be assembled one-by-one. The items solely go collectively a method and it isn’t terribly exhausting to get them put collectively, however it did take me a very good half hour to arrange 4 of them. I discovered setting them as much as be considerably irritating as a result of it takes extra drive than you would possibly assume to get them to snap in place.
As soon as assembled, they really feel sturdy, though they’re manufactured from plastic. They do not look or really feel low-cost, however it’s clear that they are plastic and never one other materials. Nanoleaf solely makes the EXPO Circumstances in white, and that is not going to suit some aesthetics. I believe there are plenty of collectors who would possibly choose black, however the white does work properly for highlighting the objects inside. Both means, the meeting retains what’s inside mud free, however Nanoleaf would not point out UV safety so I assume that is not included.
Like Nanoleaf’s lighting panels, the EXPO Circumstances hyperlink along with connectors, that are included within the field. There is a major controller field that gives energy and that the ability adapter plugs into, and the remainder of the packing containers plug into it. Nanoleaf designed them to be arrange multi function row or stacked up, so you possibly can truly make a number of completely different designs. There’s no wall mounting {hardware}, in order that they’re designed extra to go on the ground or on a floor like a desk or a shelf.
The controller field has a set of touch-based controls on it for altering the colours and the brightness with out the app, and I hate them. They use contact activation as a substitute of bodily buttons. The buttons are too delicate, and for those who even brush them, they activate. They’re additionally considerably annoying for actions like resetting the EXPO Circumstances. I’d have most well-liked normal bodily buttons.
I set the instances up throughout a set of bookcases in my workplace in a horizontal line, however I additionally examined them in a two row vertical orientation, and so they stack properly. There’s an indentation on the high of every field that the bottom of a second field sits in for a safe match, however there isn’t any clip or different mechanism that holds them in place aside from floor space and the indentations. I needed to have the ability to put LEGO that I’ve on high of the instances, however the depressions would have made for an unstable floor, which is one thing to remember if you wish to have one thing on high. I added some craft foam to have a flat floor, and that ended up working properly.
I’ve seven instances to suit throughout my bookcase, however as much as 300 might be linked collectively. After you have over eight instances, you want a 75W energy provide unit from Nanoleaf, which I imagine is offered individually as a result of the bottom kits ship with a 42W energy provide. A 75W energy provide helps 14 instances, so for those who go over that quantity, you may want two or extra energy provides. Notice that whereas 300 might be linked, Nanoleaf says it’s best to solely stack them 16 excessive vertically. There isn’t any limitation in a horizontal orientation.
The EXPO Circumstances connect with the Nanoleaf app, and are HomeKit-enabled, so you possibly can entry them within the Residence app and management them with Siri. Thread is included too, for improved connectivity. Like different Nanoleaf merchandise, they are often set to over 16 million colours, with completely different patterns and light-weight sequences which might be accessible within the app. I like Nanoleaf’s app, and I believe the corporate has completed a very good job making it simple to get an entire vary of various scenes and colour choices for its merchandise with little effort.
You possibly can set the EXPO Circumstances to strong colours or create your individual animated scenes within the app, however there are additionally neighborhood created scenes and AI Magic Scenes. With neighborhood scenes, you possibly can obtain plenty of actually nice colour/sample combos created by others, and the AI Magic Scene permits you to put in any phrase to have AI give you one thing. There’s an choice to create a playlist to have the EXPO Circumstances cycle by scenes, and there’s a rhythm possibility, which permits the chosen colours to shift in time with music that is taking part in. You too can join them to a PC or Mac setup with different Nanoleaf lights utilizing the Nanoleaf desktop app.
There are a number of shades of white along with colour, which I believe is essential for the EXPO Circumstances. Relying on what you may have inside, a few of the deeper colours and the animations could make the contents exhausting to concentrate on. If I am exhibiting off collectibles, I typically like them to be seen, so I’ve been setting the EXPO Circumstances to lighter colours and shades of white (1200K to 6500K). The deep colours do look good with sneakers or extra easy objects, and the backlighting is unquestionably eye-catching.
You possibly can choose a brightness stage for the instances together with a colour, and so they get pretty shiny. Nanoleaf says they’re every 50 lumens, and I normally have them on half brightness or decrease.
I do not need to do a Nanoleaf evaluate with out addressing connectivity and customer support, two areas the place Nanoleaf has traditionally struggled. Older Nanoleaf merchandise can have points, and I’ve had controllers fail on the Aurora and Canvas panels. The newer Thread-enabled merchandise appear to be extra dependable to this point, and I’ve examined the EXPO Circumstances since final August with just one connectivity hiccup throughout setup. They have not disconnected from Wi-Fi since, and the Nanoleaf Skylights I’ve had arrange since final 12 months have additionally been secure. My solely latest challenge was with the Sense+ Change intermittently disconnecting, however it’s been okay for a pair months now.
As for my customer support expertise, I wanted a seventh field and I purchased it instantly from Nanoleaf. They mistakenly despatched me a controller case as a substitute of an growth case, so I bought in contact with help as a daily buyer. I bought a reply again rapidly, and obtained a alternative. I’ve seen Nanoleaf help being extra lively on varied social channels like Reddit lately, so I believe they’re attempting to enhance. I’m hoping that newer merchandise are going to have an extended life than a few of the older gadgets with fewer connectivity points, however time will inform.
Nanoleaf’s EXPO Circumstances include a two-year guarantee and a 30-day return interval (when bought from the Nanoleaf web site).
Backside Line
Nanoleaf’s EXPO Circumstances had been clearly designed for exhibiting off high-end sneaker collections given the form and dimension, however they work properly for any small collectible. They pair up with different Nanoleaf lights and make for a fantastic desk accent, room ornament, or ambient gentle supply.
It is good to have an ambient lighting possibility that additionally has some utility, and Nanoleaf’s EXPO instances are a strong various to including LED lights to a normal show case or curio cupboard. I did not love the bodily buttons and I want there have been extra colour choices for many who do not love white, however general, it is a strong product that is distinctive and has worth for collectors.
I do assume these are on the costly aspect at round $67 per case, however the target market for these probably spends much more on what goes contained in the instances.
Purchase
The Nanoleaf EXPO Sensible LED Show Circumstances might be bought from the Nanoleaf web site or from Amazon for $270, which features a set of 4 instances. Extra instances can be found for $63.
Notice: Nanoleaf supplied MacRumors with a set of EXPO Sensible LED Show Circumstances for the aim of this evaluate. No different compensation was obtained.
