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I’ve always tried to collect all sorts of things. Books, music, games, trinkets from trips – I always wanted to keep all of it. But how – and where – to display everything? There are never enough shelves, and it’s not easy to make things stand out. Luckily, Nanoleaf released a new product seemingly just for me. Let’s see what it is.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Design
The EXPO Smart LED Display Case is a new product from Nanoleaf x Fantaqi, and it’s the latter’s logo that’s prominently displayed. You can only buy them in sets – in my case, I had two sets with four boxes each. It’s important to note that only one out of four boxes is self-powered, which means you can’t arrange them separately (for example, two on one side and two on the other). This isn’t very convenient and, more importantly, isn’t very well illustrated on the company’s website, where such an arrangement seems possible. For that, you would need two sets with two main powered boxes.
The new product’s design is simple and functional, fitting perfectly into a modern interior, although the lack of a black color option might deter a certain segment of the audience.
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Before you can arrange everything, you’ll need to assemble the EXPO. Each box consists of four parts, and while assembly doesn’t take much time, I wouldn’t call it elementary. Attaching the sides requires a fair bit of effort – at first, I even feared I’d break something, but the plastic is strong and good quality. Still, I messed up somewhere: the edges of some boxes are coming apart, making it look untidy. But I’m almost certain the problem lies with me. Either way, the design is simple, but it’s not like Lego bricks. The boxes can be connected in any configuration – the main thing is that they fit snugly together. You can connect an almost unlimited number of boxes to the main EXPO, and they all run from a single outlet. Unfortunately, all connectors are proprietary, so try not to break anything.
When assembled, the EXPO looks fantastic. The doors close magnetically, and the light is very even. Controls are only on the main unit, so place it somewhere you can reach it. However, you can always use the app or voice control.
It’s worth noting that all of this doesn’t come cheap. A set of four boxes costs $299.99, and eight cost even more. Is the price justified? It’s hard to say, but this is clearly a toy for those who are ready to spend not only on their collection but also on a place for that collection.
Features
This isn’t my first product from the company, so I already knew how everything worked. After assembly, syncing with the app takes a few minutes, after which you can choose any color combination. My only complaint is unreliability. For instance, I was able to update one set of boxes smoothly, but the second one simply refused. I don’t know what went wrong there, but it didn’t affect the functionality in any way.
The essence of the EXPO Smart LED Display Case is in its name. It exists to beautifully showcase your collection of whatever it may be to the world. Well, almost: the height of the boxes is limited, so books, for example, don’t fit. But CDs or video games fit perfectly – I tried it with almost every existing console.
Thanks to the app, you can customize the lighting however you want. You can color each case a separate color, choose from a pre-made list (for example, select a mode that reacts to sound), or upload user designs, of which there are a huge number. After playing with the beautiful colors, I eventually settled on a calm white-and-blue option that slowly shimmers.
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You can control it using either buttons (touch-sensitive buttons are only on the main unit, so place it where you can reach it) or through the app or voice commands. During installation, you are immediately offered the option to integrate the lighting with Apple Home, meaning you can instantly give commands to Siri. Despite its perceived shortcomings, it does this very well.
The Nanoleaf EXPO Smart LED Display Case could be described at length, but it’s much better to see them in person. In my case, I managed to transform my office, and I realized this was something I had wanted for many years. Of course, there are cheaper alternatives, but I haven’t seen anything with this level of functionality and convenient modality.
Verdict
The Nanoleaf EXPO Smart LED Display Case is a luxurious gift for anyone ready to spend serious money on their collection. You can criticize the price, but certainly not how good everything looks. As an avid collector, I am very happy with it.