Nanoleaf announces new Matter lights, won't update existing Essentials line

Nanoleaf introduced four new smart lights with Matter support on Thursday but also confirmed that it would not be updating the existing Essentials line sold via Apple Stores.

Coinciding with Matter's launch event in Amsterdam, Nanoleaf has announced four new smart lights that will work with Matter via Thread. They include an A19 bulb, a GU10 bulb, a BR30 bulb, and an updated light strip.

"We are incredibly proud to be launching our first Matter-ready lighting products," says Nanoleaf CEO & Co-Founder Gimmy Chu. "For the past two years, our team has been dedicated to bringing these products to life, working very closely within the Connectivity Standards Alliance and Matter Working Group to make this new vision of interoperability and security a reality. We believe that creating a unified experience that allows all devices to work seamlessly together is the stepping stone towards even more intelligence and automation, for a truly smart smart home experience."

With Matter support, the new lights will work seamlessly with all major smart home platforms such as Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home.

Matter seeks to unify the smart home

In 2020, Nanoleaf was one of the first companies to release Thread-connected accessories with its Essentials Line. It is comprised of an affordable A19 smart bulb and a light strip.

They are sold exclusively in Apple Stores and work solely with HomeKit. Unfortunately, Nanoleaf has confirmed to AppleInsider that they will not be updating these products to support Matter.

The new Matter-enabled versions are functionally the same, other than supporting the new unifying standard. That leaves Apple users in a tricky position as they can choose the existing Essentials line with HomeKit support and Adaptive Lighting or the upcoming Matter versions that won't support Adaptive Lighting.

At CES 2023, Nanoleaf is promising to unveil additional Matter-ready devices.

Nanoleaf's new bulbs and light strips are set to release in early 2023 and will be available through Nanoleaf's shop. Prices will run from $19.99 to $99.99.

9 Comments

mike1 10 Years · 3437 comments

About 2 years ago

AppleInsider said:

Matter seeks to unify the smart home

The new Matter-enabled versions are functionally the same, other than supporting the new unifying standard. That leaves Apple users in a tricky position as they can choose the existing Essentials line with HomeKit support and Adaptive Lighting or the upcoming Matter versions that won't support Adaptive Lighting.

Not sure why this would be "tricky" for Apple Home users that are already using HomeKit-compatible accessories. They will work just fine. The only thing an Apple user needs to worry about is whether a device they are considering using supports Matter if it doesn't support HomeKit. Am I missing something?

Andrew_OSU 6 Years · 574 comments

About 2 years ago

insync88 said:

Why wouldn’t the Matter bulbs support Adaptive Lighting ?

That's a HomeKit-only feature, not a Matter feature. As far as I'm aware, Nanoleaf isn't seeking a second HomeKit cert and won't have Adaptive Lighting. I've reached out to Nanoleaf for confirmation.

mknelson 9 Years · 1148 comments

About 2 years ago

mike1 said:

AppleInsider said:

Matter seeks to unify the smart home

The new Matter-enabled versions are functionally the same, other than supporting the new unifying standard. That leaves Apple users in a tricky position as they can choose the existing Essentials line with HomeKit support and Adaptive Lighting or the upcoming Matter versions that won't support Adaptive Lighting.

Not sure why this would be "tricky" for Apple Home users that are already using HomeKit-compatible accessories. They will work just fine. The only thing an Apple user needs to worry about is whether a device they are considering using supports Matter if it doesn't support HomeKit. Am I missing something?

Only tricky if the Matter ones and originals don't mesh together with Thread, or work in the same scenes.

The additional bulb sizes are a welcome addition (GU10 in particular for my needs), but there are still a few sizes I would like to see. A more compact A19 like the flat one Phillips does would be extra welcome.

Andrew_OSU 6 Years · 574 comments

About 2 years ago

mknelson said:

mike1 said:

AppleInsider said:

Matter seeks to unify the smart home

The new Matter-enabled versions are functionally the same, other than supporting the new unifying standard. That leaves Apple users in a tricky position as they can choose the existing Essentials line with HomeKit support and Adaptive Lighting or the upcoming Matter versions that won't support Adaptive Lighting.

Not sure why this would be "tricky" for Apple Home users that are already using HomeKit-compatible accessories. They will work just fine. The only thing an Apple user needs to worry about is whether a device they are considering using supports Matter if it doesn't support HomeKit. Am I missing something?

Only tricky if the Matter ones and originals don't mesh together with Thread, or work in the same scenes.

The additional bulb sizes are a welcome addition (GU10 in particular for my needs), but there are still a few sizes I would like to see. A more compact A19 like the flat one Phillips does would be extra welcome.

With the new sizes, you have no other options from Nanoleaf. For the A19 and the light strip, you have to choose if you want Adaptive Lighting or if you want Matter. That's what I mean tricky. You have to make that choice at the time of purchase.