Nanoleaf’s new Unified Light Panels will feature sturdier connectors

With the upcoming release of its new hexagonal Unified Light Panels, Nanoleaf is looking to fix a sticking point for users of its original Canvas squares and Light Panels: their “flimsy” connectors.

At the recently wrapped CES trade show in Las Vegas, a Nanoleaf rep showed me the new and improved connectors used by the Unified Hexagons, which were announced earlier this week alongside Nanoleaf’s upcoming Learning Series smart lighting suite.

The hexagonal light panels will feature a snap-on connector rather than the older slide-on links used by the older Canvas and Light Panel models. I gave them a try and they felt much sturdier and secure than the slide-on links used by Nanoleaf’s Canvas squares and Light Panels.

While the old connectors act as links that allow Nanoleaf’s existing light panels to communicate with each other, they don’t lock the panels into place.

Ben Patterson/IDG

Indeed, as we noted in our review of the light panels (formerly known as Aurora): “There’s not even much of a way to keep the panels stuck together—or even attached to the wall—aside from some sticky tape Nanoleaf throws in the box.”

Speaking of sticky tape, that’s another area that Nanoleaf users have complained about, the Nanoleaf rep told me. Unsurprisingly, users didn’t love that they had to attach their Nanoleaf light panels directly to their walls using adhesive tape.

Ben Patterson/IDG

Luckily, Nanoleaf’s upcoming Unified Light Panels come with a solution: a snap-on mounting plate with a pair of screw holes. A removable mounting plate sounds like a much better alternative to attaching sticky tape to the light panels themselves, and we love the screw-mounting option.

The hexagonal light panels will be the first of Nanoleaf’s Unified Light Panel line, with more shapes coming later this year and in 2021.

Look for the Unified Hexagons to go on sale this summer. Nanoleaf hasn’t released pricing details yet.