Cololight Pro review

Looking for something a little different from a smart light? The Cololight Pro is more of a decorative item, with a compact design that can be tailored to have different shapes and colours, plus modes that are sensitive to music. With the right add-ons, you can also wall-mount them, too.

Wondering what other options are out there for your home? Take a look at our chart of the best smart home lights. 

Price and availability

There are currently two versions of the Cololight on the market. You can get the 3-pack starter kit with a plastic base, which costs £39.99/US$44.95. If you’d like some more panels, there’s a version with 6 panels and a stone base, which costs £79.99/$74.99 – this was the model that we tested. The US also does several other pack options, including a 10-pack version for $114.95. You can purchase all of these options on Amazon UK, Amazon US or on the Cololight website.

In comparison to other rivals – like the Nanoleaf Canvas Kit – this is a much more cost-friendly option for smart lighting. It is however much more compact, and the starter kit only comes with three panels, which isn’t really enough to create a very interesting design.

You can always expand your pack with a choice of 1, 3, 5 and 10 panels. The 10-pack will set you back a cool £99.99/$128.00, so if you plan on having a sprawling wall of lights, this will get costly. There’s also an additional wall-mounting kit, which costs £10 for a ten pack. In the US, this comes included with most standard kits. 

What the hex?!

The hexagonal shapes might not be to everyone’s tastes, but they certainly give an edgy look and feel. On each side, there’s a connecting port that allows you to join each panel together to create new shapes and designs. The quirky shapes and bright neon colours make them a great companion light for gamers who are searching for some added flair to their set-up. 

The pack comes with a bag of connectors, which you simply insert into the backs of each panel to link them together. The stone base on the model we tested is quite aesthetically pleasing – but you can only get this on the 6-pack version unfortunately, which costs quite a bit more than the plastic edition.

Though these panels are extremely easy to connect, they aren’t very sturdy. The slightest knock can cause the panels to fall apart, so once you have the Cololight in the design you want, it’s best to ensure that it’s in a spot that’s away from any potential knocks and bumps.

The light connects to power via USB, so you’ll need access to a power source or a USB port. It also only operates on 2.4GHz WiFi, and you’ll need to turn on location and Bluetooth on your phone to control it.

With the addition of a wall-mount kit, you can also have these lights placed around your room. The only way to do this is by drilling holes into your walls and adding in the screw mounts to where you want your lights to sit. Sadly, the starter kit doesn’t come with this pack, and there’s no other additional features to allow you to put up these lights without doing damage to your walls. 

It’s worth noting that the Nanoleaf comes with adhesive command strips which stick to walls, which if used correctly should do minimal damage to your walls if you’re renting (aside from possibly taking away the paint, if taken off wrong). In theory, you should still be able to use the same standard command strips for the Cololight, as they seem light enough. Of course, we haven’t tested this method – and it isn’t mentioned by the company – so proceed at your own risk. 

Lights, lights baby

Though you can also turn the light on with the button on the back, the best way to control the Cololight is via the companion app, which works on Android OS 5.0.1 or higher, and iOS 9.0 or higher. Personally I found pairing for the first time to be a little difficult, but after exiting the process and re-plugging the light in, it began to work with no hiccups and was able to pair easily.

The light is extremely bright and vivid, and feels a lot more high-end than what its actually worth. You get a choice of 16 million colours and three selection modes. You can opt for a more subdued solid colour, or go for something jazzy and choose a dynamic effect with several pre-made effects.

If neither of these options are floating your boat, then the customisable mode gives a lot more flexibility. You can set a custom pattern and colour, and programme the light to be sound sensitive so it changes when you’re playing music or games for a more immersive effect. The light can also be set on a timer, to avoid having to turn it on and off manually.

The light can be integrated to be controlled via the Google Home and Alexa ecosystems for home automation, allowing you to switch colours through voice control.

Verdict

If you wish to venture into artistic smart lighting without dropping a lot of money on it, the Cololight is a great starter option. With a wide range of colours, effects and controls, it gives bang for your buck – especially with the endless custom shapes you can create. It’s just a shame that the lights aren’t super secure once they’re physical connected to one another, as it can make construction a little fiddly.

It’s best suited for those looking for a smaller light to fit on a desk set-up. If you’d like more of a statement piece, then we’d suggest looking at something like the Nanoleaf Canvas, though this is more than double the price of the Cololight.