Review: Nanoleaf's $99 Matter-Enabled String Lights Are an Affordable Holiday Option

Nanoleaf is known for its smart lighting panels, but this year the company launched a set of $99 Smart Holiday String Lights that are compatible with Matter and thus HomeKit. Matter devices connect to ‌HomeKit‌ in the same way that traditional ‌HomeKit‌ devices do, but you will need a Matter-compatible smart home hub. For the ‌HomeKit‌ ecosystem, this is anything that serves as a ‌HomeKit‌ "home hub," such as an Apple TV or HomePod.

Priced at $99 for a 20-meter (65 ft) light strand with 250 LEDs, the Nanoleaf Holiday String Lights are priced competitively. They're more affordable than similar smart string lights from Philips Hue or Twinkly, though Twinkly is often around the same price if you find them on sale. A 65-foot light strand is about the right size for a 7-foot tree, though it won't be the most dense lighting. For a more even look, two light strands of this length are required for most trees around that size.

There are two connected 10-meter strands with 125 LEDs each (which is also how Twinkly works). According to Nanoleaf, the dual strand design is ideal for use with trees. Starting at the middle of the tree, one strand can be wrapped up toward the top, while the second can be wrapped down toward the bottom. It is not possible to connect two sets of the string lights together, however, and each needs its own power supply if you're using multiples.

The Nanoleaf lights look a lot like the Twinkly lights in terms of design, with a flat-topped LED that has rounded sides. There's about three inches of space between each LED, and the cord is black with no other color options available. Black stands out more than green on a Christmas tree, so it would be nice to have a green cord option. Twinkly makes some clear cord string lights, and I think that's a good way to go because it's able to better blend into the surroundings.

Unlike Twinkly lights, you cannot control each individual LED, and instead these are set to different color palettes and patterns like the Hue String Lights. The Nanoleaf lights actually feel like a cross between Hue and Twinkly because they're not quite as customizable as Twinkly, but offer more patterns than Hue. 16 million colors are supported on the Nanoleaf lights, as well as multiple shades of white. The Nanoleaf app has pre-designed color palettes that you can choose in addition to the tools to create your own.

There's also a community feature with Nanoleaf so you can download lighting animations and color palettes created by others, giving you a lot of options for design without having to put in a lot of work. Nanoleaf's community feature has long been one of my favorite Nanoleaf features because it provides so many options with just a quick search.

The Nanoleaf String Light's colors are vibrant and bright and remind me a lot of Twinkly in terms of saturation and lighting patterns. Compared to Hue, Nanoleaf is brighter, and I don't feel that Nanoleaf's lights do gradients quite as well. The Hue holiday lights have the best color fades and pre-made patterns, and Nanoleaf can't compete there.

The best way to control the lights is through the Nanoleaf app, but once you establish lighting scenes, you can activate them through the Home app or Siri voice commands. The Home app can be used to control the Nanoleaf String Lights directly, but it's not really set up for individual LED control so it only works for turning the entire strand a single shade.

While these do connect to ‌HomeKit‌ (and other Matter-enabled smart home platforms), you can use them with the Nanoleaf app alone over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. With the included controller, the lights can be synced to music that is playing. There is a physical button on the light strand for turning them on and off and cycling through white shades, colors, and Scenes that have been set up.

According to Nanoleaf, the lights are 250 lumens, and the strand draws 18W of power. With the light strand on for 12 hours a day and an electricity cost of 13 cents per kilowatt hour, it would cost around $10 a year to run these lights.

These have an IP44 water/dust resistance rating, so they can be used indoors or outdoors and will be able to stand up to rain, but may not be able to hold up in particularly harsh weather like a downpour. Nanoleaf says they can be used in temperatures ranging from 5 degrees to 104 degrees.

As a ‌HomeKit‌ device, automations and schedules can be used to turn the lights on and off at set times or to change patterns based on sensors, times, or with geofencing.

During my time testing the lights, I did not run into issues with connectivity. Matter can be a little finicky right now, which is something to be aware of. In the past I have run into connectivity issues with non-Matter Nanoleaf products, but most of the time the solution has been removing and re-adding to ‌HomeKit‌.

Nanoleaf's Matter-enabled String Lights are the most affordable string lights that connect to ‌HomeKit‌ that I'm aware of. At $99, they're cheaper than the Hue or Twinkly versions that have the same 250-LED count.

Bottom Line

Nanoleaf's Matter-enabled Smart Holiday String Lights are a good deal comparatively, and they offer a lot of fun options for holiday decorating. These are quite not as customizable as Twinkly lights (which you can paint on using the app), but Nanoleaf has a better selection of pre-made scenes and color palettes to choose from.

The Nanoleaf app is a lot more user friendly and intuitive than the Twinkly app, which is my least favorite smart home product app. If you're someone who wants to hop onto an app, find a set of cool colors, and be done in about 30 seconds, Nanoleaf's string lights will facilitate that.

You can use these in tandem with other ‌HomeKit‌ products, but you won't have the integrations you'll have with say, the Hue String Lights and other Hue lights. If you're in the Hue ecosystem, I still think the Hue String Lights are the best holiday lights to get, but if you just need a general HomeKit-connected string light, Nanoleaf is a good option.

Nanoleaf Downlights

Though not related to the String Lights, Nanoleaf also came out with some Matter 4-inch downlights, a first for the company. I was able to test these out, and I think if you're looking for a smart downlight replacement that does not require a hub, these are a good bet.

I prefer my Hue downlights just because I am in the Hue ecosystem, but the Nanoleaf ones work just as well in terms of color options and brightness. Nanoleaf does not have 6-inch versions at this time, so that will be a barrier to those who have larger downlights or a mix.

I have had some disconnects with these lights, but I don't want to blame Nanoleaf for that because I think it is a ‌HomeKit‌ Matter issue where there are still bugs for Apple to work out.

only $30 each, which makes them half as expensive as the Hue version. If you're willing to do some troubleshooting every once in awhile until ‌HomeKit‌ is shored up for Matter, Nanoleaf's downlights are worth trying.

How to Buy

The Nanoleaf String Lights can be purchased from Amazon or from the Nanoleaf website for $100.

Note: Nanoleaf provided MacRumors with the Nanoleaf String Lights for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Tag: Nanoleaf

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Review: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 Offers Lots of Tech, but You'll Need a Cable for CarPlay

Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis has been gaining increasing attention over the course of its relatively short lifetime, and I recently had a chance to try out a 2023 Electrified GV70 SUV to see how the infotainment experience stacks up for an iPhone owner.

My test vehicle was a high-end Prestige trim with a beautiful 14.5-inch widescreen center screen, complemented by a 12.3-inch all-digital driver display featuring autostereoscopic 3D technology, plus an additional head-up display for viewing key information without having to take your eyes off the road.

Infotainment display

The GV70's center display is mounted high on the dashboard and set back a decent amount, which puts it in a good spot for glancing at without having to look too far away from what's in front of you, but the positioning and widescreen dimensions make operating it via the touchscreen a bit of a reach. To address that, Genesis also includes a rotary controller and a number of buttons within easy reach of the driver on the center console.

Rotary controller located above a rotary shifter dial

The rotary controller includes a dial for navigating between user interface elements, and you can press the dial to register your selection, but the dial can also be rocked to move more quickly move between pages and sections in the system. The surface of the controller is also touch-sensitive, allowing you to draw out letters when trying to search for destinations or performing other tasks where text entry is needed. Voice commands are typically a much superior method for this, however.

In addition to the rotary controller, there are several buttons located directly above it on the console to quickly access specific functions in the infotainment system, including dedicated Home, Menu, and Back buttons. Scroll-style buttons also allow for easy volume and tuning adjustments.

Steering wheel controls

Steering wheel controls are another method for controlling some infotainment functions, and there's even another strip of buttons on the center stack below the climate controls with quick access to the map, navigation, radio, and media functions. This strip and the steering wheel each have a user-configurable "star" button that can be set to jump you straight into CarPlay.

And yes, climate controls have their own dedicated section separate from the main infotainment screen and they include a combination of physical and digital controls that works quite well. The driver and passenger each have a knob for adjusting the temperature for their respective sides of the cabin, and there additional commonly used controls to the outside of these dials.

Dedicated climate controls

These climate controls are not individual buttons, but the small panels they're on do move when pressed, providing some tactile feedback. Other settings like heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, and manual fan speed adjustments are made on a digital screen, so they're harder to manage by feel, although they do provide some haptic and audio feedback when pressed.

Menu screen for native infotainment

For the most part, the native infotainment system has a sleek, modern look, with high-resolution graphics and a logical layout of screens and panels that's easy to navigate using the rotary controller or by touch.

Nature sounds

A full array of functions are available, from SiriusXM to onboard navigation to EV data. There are even a variety of soothing nature sounds that can be piped throughout the cabin, and there's a weather app complete with a radar view.

Built-in navigation

The onboard navigation is functional and helpful with both overview and next-turn views available simultaneously while a route is in progress, but the look could stand some modernization to better match the rest of the infotainment system.

In the driver's display, Genesis includes the neat Blind-Spot View Monitor system that Hyundai has offered for a number of years, which uses cameras on the side-view mirror to display a live video feed of your blind spot on a given side when you engage your turn signal. It's a handy feature that I wish was common in more brands.

Driver display with stereoscopic 3D view and Blind-Spot View Monitor

The other clever driver's display feature that comes as part of the Prestige package on the GV70 is the 3D aspect. It's something you really have to experience in person to fully grasp, but it takes advantage of parallax with offset images to turn gauges and other digital aspects of the instrument cluster into three-dimensional representations that give a sense of depth.

A camera pointed at the driver tracks their position and gaze, adjusting the 3D effect accordingly. The whole thing is a bit gimmicky, but it's kind of neat and stands out as something different to help set the high-end Genesis trims apart.

USB ports and wireless charging pad in center console

The GV70 includes a pair of USB-A ports (one for charge and data and one for charging only) in a small cubby on the center console that also includes a wireless Qi charger. As with many car chargers, it can be difficult to get a reliable wireless charging connection, likely due to the slab-style charger design and the ‌iPhone‌'s camera bump and case lip interfering with positioning on the charger.

Rear climate controls and USB charging ports

On the rear of the center console are climate controls and a pair of USB-A charging ports for rear passengers.

CarPlay

As you'd hope, the Electrified GV70 supports ‌CarPlay‌, but unfortunately only via a wired connection. Genesis is currently a victim of an odd split in Hyundai's infotainment systems wherein lower-tier systems support both wired and wireless ‌CarPlay‌ while higher-end systems with built-in navigation only support wired ‌CarPlay‌. There have been rumors of Hyundai and Genesis adding wireless ‌CarPlay‌ to some of these higher-tier systems on select models via a software update in the relatively near future, but we'll have to see if that pans out.

‌CarPlay‌ Home screen

So if you want to use ‌CarPlay‌, you're going to have plug your phone in, and it's unfortunate that more modern USB-C ports aren't included. The charging and USB compartment includes a spring-loaded cover to help hide things away, but if you've got a Pro Max-sized ‌iPhone‌ with a cable sticking out the bottom for ‌CarPlay‌, you'll have a very difficult time getting that cover to close properly.

Apple Maps in ‌CarPlay‌

‌CarPlay‌ looks great on the GV70's widescreen display, which even leaves enough room for a sidebar off to the right where you can view other functions from the native infotainment system. You can see your current radio station or audio track information, a compass, a dedicated clock, vehicle battery information, and more.

Now Playing screen in ‌CarPlay‌

On the downside, ‌CarPlay‌ is a single-screen experience in the GV70, as it doesn't get the latest dual-screen experience rolling out recently to Volvo and a few other brands, and it doesn't even get the more basic ‌Apple Maps‌ navigation prompts in the driver display or the head-up display that are available on many vehicles. Navigation prompts from the native navigation system do appear in the head-up display, so that's a plus for using the Hyundai/Genesis system.

‌CarPlay‌ Dashboard view

Wrap-up

The Genesis Electrified GV70 starts at a little over $65,000, with the Prestige package on my test model, a paint upcharge, and destination fees bringing things to a little shy of $75,000. It's not cheap, and its range clocks in at only 236 miles (and even a bit less than that in real-world review), but overall it's a fun drive with a boost mode that lets you go 0–60 in around four seconds.

It's also packed with technology from the gorgeous center display to the 3D driver's display to a fingerprint authentication system. My main gripes on this front are the lack of wireless connectivity for ‌CarPlay‌, USB-A ports rather than USB-C, and an inconvenient phone storage/charging setup.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Tag: Genesis

Related Forum: HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology

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The Best Xbox Series X Deal: Get it on Sale for Only $349

It's back! Walmart has the Xbox Series X Diablo 4 console bundle is only $349. We saw this on sale briefly last week but it sold out quickly. This is far better than the $439 price we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We expect it to go out of stock very quickly.

Note: Make sure you are logged into your Walmart account to see the discounted price on the Diablo 4 bundle. It's currently only available in select locations. If it's showing out of stock for you, there's another Xbox Series X console (non-bundle) that's also available for $349. It's not as good as the Diablo 4 bundle, but it's still better than any Xbox deal we saw during Black Friday.

Xbox Series X for $349

The Xbox Series X is a current generation system able to drive 4K games at up to a glorious 120fps. It is technically a more powerful system than the PS5 and games that are compatible with both consoles usually perform better on the Xbox console. Compared to the $300 Xbox Series S, the X features more powerful hardware to enable it to run games in 4K (the Xbox Series S runs games at 1440p). The Xbox Series X also has a disc drive that can play 4K Blu-ray movies and physical game media and 1TB of internal storage. Diablo 4 itself as an incredible game. The Xbox edition retails for for $69.99 and the lowest it went for on Black Friday was $49.99. Check out our IGN Diablo 4 review.

Xbox Core Wireless Controller for $34.99

Need a second controller? Lenovo has the official Microsoft Xbox Core Wireless Controller for for Xbox Series X|S consoles for only $34.99 after you apply a $5 off coupon code "MXBOXWH" in your shopping cart. Only the Robot White color is available at this price. This was the lowest price we saw for an official Xbox Core wireless controller during Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Check out more of the best deals on 2023 holiday gift ideas in tech and gaming.