Nanoleaf Blocks Review: More Functional Wall Panel Lights

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Nanoleaf has expanded its reach in the smart home market, debuting light switches, ceiling fixtures, and outdoor light strips. Even so, gamers often associate the manufacturer with popular wall panel lights like Shapes. Blocks are the first completely redesigned panels from Nanoleaf since 2020. Chunkier with ways to display accessories and collectibles, Blocks appeals to a wide audience. More powerful and emanating light from edges, Nanoleaf's latest panels are now available for purchase.

Installing a smart light switch isn't quite as easy as changing a light bulb. These switches cause minimal frustration and control existing lights.

Blocks ships in various kits, including the Combo XL Smarter Kit Nanoleaf sent for testing. The most interesting lights are the illuminated Pegboard and Shelves, which integrate perfectly with designs. Game Rant was anxious to discover if there are any drawbacks to the most modular Nanoleaf smart lights to date.

Blocks are the most dynamic-looking wall panels in Nanoleaf's impressive smart lighting collection. These large and sturdy square-shaped lights connect with optional smaller and textured blocks. Kits and add-ons are also available with lighted pegboards and shelves, allowing gamers to display their gear without bulky storage solutions. Edge-to-edge illumination adds more dimensions to preset and custom lighting scenes. Buyers can control the Blocks with voice commands and a variety of Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple Home apps.

The Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit ships in a square box depicting a sample layout.

Buyers will find some handles on the inner cardboard, but they feel a bit flimsy when lifting the nine lights. On the top of the packaging is a Quick Start Guide. Further below, sleeves separate Blocks to prevent scratches.

With the contents laid out on a floor, installers should see four standard-sized Blocks, four Small Squares, one Light Pegboard, and a Shelf. The controller unit attaches to one of the Blocks and connects to a provided power supply. The other installation accessories are numerous and include hard plastic Linkers, large and small tape pads, anchors, and screws.

Nanoleaf also sent a Textured Squares Add-On Kit, which arrived in a predictably smaller, mostly white box. Accompanying the two lights are more double-sided tape pads and Linkers.

Installation differs from other Nanoleaf wall panels, especially if purchasing a Blocks configuration with a shelf. As always, testing the lights at ground level and planning a layout in advance is a good idea. Apple phone users can use Nanoleaf's AR Layout Assistant to project what a design will look like on a wall. Unfortunately, Android fans may have to resort to a tape measure to ensure a design fits in a space.

The thick Blocks come with a bracket attached to their backsides. This gives installers some flexibility to orient the crucial initial square evenly. The bracket also makes accessing and removing the double-sided tape pads easier. Nanoleaf placed two Linker slots on each side of the square lights, allowing adjacent Blocks to connect at an offset position. The controller can be placed in almost any position, with the still-visible white cord running behind one of the Blocks. The Textured Squares and smaller Blocks are set up virtually using the same method.

Things get more interesting when integrating the Light Pegboard and Shelf into a design. For the Light Pegboard, installers will want to use a screwdriver to separate the light from its back panel and mounting plate. Both pieces adhere to walls in the usual fashion, with tape pads. After lifting off the back panel, there are holes where Nanoleaf recommends making marks to guide where to drill the provided wall anchors. Once the mounting plate is reattached, the next step is to secure the panel by inserting screws in the anchors. Then the Light Pegboard screws into the back panel with the same screws removed at the start of the process.

The Shelf also requires wall anchors to safely accommodate items up to 3.3 lbs. This component is designed to be installed underneath, between, or above Blocks. Nanoleaf provides a plastic cover that hides the tabs on the shelf and serves as a guide during installation.

The physical installation of the Combo XL Smarter Kit is more involved than with Nanoleaf Shapes or Canvas. While following the directions is not especially difficult, the main consideration is that some parts require wall anchors. That said, the Light Pegboard, which can hold about 6.5 lbs, seemed fairly secure without drilling screws in the wall. If not planning to hang more than headphones, renters or buyers unwilling to damage walls may get away with just double-sided tape. Of course, the kits with only the conventional Blocks don't introduce any of these concerns.

Securing the Light Pegboard and Shelf to walls somewhat complicates the setup process. On the other hand, pairing Blocks with the Nanoleaf app is more familiar. After clicking the 'Add Device' icon, the app should hopefully recognize the lights and ask to scan a QR code or enter a pairing code. Buyers should keep the Quick Start Guide in a safe place, in case scanning the code on the back of the controller unit isn't convenient. Once paired, the app recognizes the number of Blocks in a design and how they are connected. Users may need to rotate the pattern's orientation to match how it's displayed on walls.

Because Matter hasn't evolved enough to support Blocks' complicated effects outside of Nanoleaf apps, it's not an option. Even so, Google Home, Apple Home, and Alexa smart speakers and hubs can power off Blocks and make basic scene changes. Nanoleaf does plan to update Blocks to act as a Thread border router in the future.

Owners of other Nanoleaf lights will encounter many of the same preset scenes. The reddish-orange Molten Sunrise is a sensible pattern to schedule for morning hours, while Northern Lights demonstrates Blocks' wide color palette. Other scenes, like Energetic Beat, flash and pulsate to blaring music. There are copious user-created scenes to download, and Nanoleaf encourages users to experiment with the Scene Creator.

Nanoleaf Desktop for Macs and PCs continues to showcase new features. When Game Rant recently reviewed the Nanoleaf x Fantaqi EXPO Display Case, Orchestrator already showed its potential. Instead of reacting to music using external mics, Orchestrator connects to sound devices on PCs and intelligently generates low-latency visual responses. Nanoleaf Desktop is also essential for owners of RGB keyboards and mice, enabling Blocks to sync with peripherals and display in-game effects. Gamers loyal to Corsair aren't out of luck, with iCue now supporting many Nanoleaf smart lights. Blocks aren't listed as compatible, but it's hard to imagine that not changing.

With these Govee smart lights, a modest budget can spice up a gaming room with stunning LED panels, strips, and bulbs.

Compared to the Govee Home app, Nanoleaf's software is streamlined and simple to navigate. While it wasn't common, Blocks sometimes temporarily lost connectivity, requiring minimizing and reopening the app. To the dismay of those not using desktops and laptops, Nanoleaf Desktop is rapidly becoming less glitchy and a more complete software solution.

Nanoleaf Blocks showcase several welcome improvements, like edge-to-edge lighting. Shapes and Canvas panels wowed observers at their release, but brightness levels weren't uniform across the lights. The larger Blocks increase their output to 320 lumens per panel and spread the lighting evenly across entire surfaces. Other refinements aside, the raw power of Blocks makes the most impact. It can't be understated how much light shines from the front and sides of the panels, easily illuminating large parts of rooms.

With the Glide Hexagon Light Panels Ultra, Govee made their panels more three-dimensional thanks to line lighting on surfaces and multiple zones. Nanoleaf Blocks rely more on their 1.5-inch thickness and light escaping from their sides to seemingly pop out from walls. The optional Textured Squares also make Blocks seem weightier and less flat.

Even when off, the Light Pegboard and Shelf draw attention from observers accustomed to conventional wall panels. Regardless, for buyers searching for smart lights that blend in like decor when unlit, Nanoleaf Lines or Elements are the best choices.

The Pegboard creates its own unique effects with light shining through a grate on its surface. Nanoleaf includes two hooks that clamp onto the many openings. The hooks are deep enough to display a variety of peripherals, but a gaming headset is the most likely target. If buyers enjoy the storage aspect of Blocks, they can purchase additional Light Pegboards. The manual suggests clever ways to stack them next to each other and avoid using excess mounting hardware.

The Shelf, which can be placed almost anywhere in a design, is an appealing platform for showing off collectibles. For smaller figurines, the five-inch deep shelves are more than sufficient. As with the Light Pegboards, the most devoted collectors can purchase more shelves. One of the advantages of Blocks is that they can adapt to the changing needs of gaming and living rooms.

Blocks are also more versatile because they connect to Shapes lights, which include Triangles, Mini-Triangles, and Hexagons. Installers must use rigid linkers rather than flexible linkers, as well as the power supply from Blocks kits. It's hard to envision a complicated design with these different lights that don't look random, but more creative designers are up for the challenge. The Blocks' compatibility with older smart panels and smaller Blocks, Textured Squares, Light Pegboard, and Shelf opens up almost unlimited possibilities.

Even with RGBW instead of RGBWW chips, Blocks can accurately display different white hues. Most owners will want to turn down the brightness, as the wide field of light produced by the panels is often blinding.

The Blocks stick out further from walls and almost seem to invite being touched. Unfortunately, unlike the Shapes and Canvas panels, they aren't touch-capacitive. Still, the physical controller now has fewer buttons with a more tactile feel, inputting basic commands without needing a smartphone.

Blocks are the most dynamic-looking wall panels in Nanoleaf's impressive smart lighting collection. These large and sturdy square-shaped lights connect with optional smaller and textured blocks. Kits and add-ons are also available with lighted pegboards and shelves, allowing gamers to display their gear without bulky storage solutions. Edge-to-edge illumination adds more dimensions to preset and custom lighting scenes. Buyers can control the Blocks with voice commands and a variety of Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple Home apps.

Whether or not buyers purchase a kit with storage-focused components, Blocks are an upgrade over previous Nanoleaf panels. Their increased brightness illuminates entire rooms, boosted by light escaping from the edges of the thicker Blocks. The design options are neverending, especially when Small and Textured Squares are included.

For some Nanoleaf fans, Blocks' storage capabilities are a double-edged sword. While a Light Pegboard and Shelf have benefits in a cluttered gaming room, installing them is more involved. However, the Textured Squares adhere to walls with ordinary double-sided tape, making designs look more distinctive.

Blocks are fairly expensive, but priced competitively with Shapes kits. Buyers should strongly consider purchasing the Combo XL configuration to realize the lights' full potential. With any option, the more versatile and brighter Blocks are a worthy upgrade over existing smart light panels.

Similar Wall Light Panels

Best Choice For

Price

Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons Smarter Kit

Simple installation

$165 at Amazon

Nanoleaf Lines Starter Kit

Subtle backlighting

$180 at Amazon

Govee Glide Hexagon Light Panels Ultra

3D lighting effects

$250 at Amazon

Nanoleaf Blocks will likely become many gamers' new favorite wall panel lights. Nevertheless, Nanoleaf Shapes are straightforward to install and do not require a drill in most cases. Lines are ideal for spaces where backlit light bars are more appropriate than bright panels. Finally, Govee's Glide Hexagon Light Panels Ultra are pricey but feature multiple zones and dramatic 3D effects.

As technology evolves, gamers find themselves spending more time at home. Discover if Nanoleaf Outdoor String Lights make it worth venturing outside.

Since its founding in 2012, Nanoleaf has been at the forefront of smart lighting technology. Nanoleaf offers the widest compatibility with smart home platforms, with many products supporting Matter and Thread. The company is especially popular with gamers because it encourages integrations with best-selling titles and syncing with RGB peripherals.

Although they often look amazing, the per-light cost of smart wall panels is often considerable. Panel lights are typically not bright enough to replace smart light bulbs and lamps. Also, depending on the installation method, removing the panels can damage walls.

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