Lighting company Nanoleaf today announced the launch of new Essentials lights that are aimed at replacing some of the standard bulbs that are installed in ceilings, plus it is introducing a new series of products in partnership with Umbra.
The Essentials Matter GU10 and the Essentials Matter Recessed Downlight are compatible with smart home platforms that support Matter, which includes HomeKit. The lights can be added to a HomeKit setup as long as a Matter hub like the HomePod mini is available. The Essentials lights are also Thread enabled and will integrate with other Thread products for improved connectivity.
Nanoleaf's Recessed Downlights are four inches in size and can replace standard downlights that you may have in your home, while the GU10 bulbs can replace light fixtures that use that bulb style. Like all Nanoleaf Essential lights, the Downlights and GU10 bulbs support 16 million colors as well as a range of different white temperatures.
The lights can be controlled through the Nanoleaf app or through the Home app when added to HomeKit, and can be activated through automations to have lights turn on at specific times or work in tandem with other smart home devices. Multiple bulbs can be grouped together so you can change the lighting in entire rooms at one time.
Nanoleaf today also announced that it is partnering with Umbra on two new Smart Lamps that are compatible with Matter. The Cono Portable Lamp and the Cup Lamp have unique designs created by Umbra with lighting technology supplied by Nanoleaf. The Cono and Cup Lamps work like other Nanoleaf lights, supporting millions of colors and working with scenes, automations, and more.
The Cono Portable Lamp has a built-in battery that lasts for up to five hours so it can be taken from room to room, while the Cup Lamp is a desktop lamp with a USB charging port and a cup base that is able to hold desk accessories.
Three of the GU10 bulbs can be preordered for $50, while the downlights are priced at $35 each. The Cono Portable Lamp is available for preorder now and is priced at $95, and the $130 Cup Lamp will be available in early 2024.
Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
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Some of their stuff looks good but I haven’t heard good things regarding longevity. Perhaps owners could chime in?
i have five non-matter essential bulbs, and one matter bulb that was a replacement for a non-matter bulb that went bad.
The Nanoleaf non-matter essential A19 bulbs have been pretty solid. The matter enabled bulb is a giant pain in my $#%! It requires a reset at least every other week, sometimes multiple times in a row. Now, it’s possible this is brought on by my HomeKit hub changing from a new ATV to one of the many HomePod minis in the house.
We have lots of Philips Hue lights, Lutron Caseta Switches (fan and light), a meeros garage door opener, and wemo thread switches… this one Nanoleaf matter bulb is the least reliable by far. Side note, Hue and Lutron are certainly expensive, but they have proven 100% reliable for many years now.
I really want Nanoleaf to do better, because we need more competition in this market segment to bring down prices. Until then, I can’t recommend their essentials line. I can’t speak to their shape lighting.
And what countless people forget is the quality of the light, besides the longevity, the quality of the light, the smooth gradients when dimming, the step differences in shades and colour, the easy of use and integration. Still, nothing even gets close.
Some of their stuff looks good but I haven’t heard good things regarding longevity. Perhaps owners could chime in?
I’ve owned a number of different nanoleaf products over the past decade and they have almost all failed. I would avoid them. Hue and twinkly have been much better for me personally.
