Hands-on review: Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit

Immersion is something that many of us thrive on when it comes to setting up our home entertainment systems.

While 3D technology came and went, smart lighting is certainly here to stay. Nanoleaf has been around for a few years now, and you may be familiar with their uniquely shaped lights that you can sync up to your PC to enable the lights to display on your wall – no matter how you've decided to configure the lighting panels.

With previous Nanoleaf products, you'd need to connect your TV to your PC or Mac in order to sync the light panels to whatever you're watching on TV, but the Nanoleaf 4D instead uses a camera to see what colours are on the screen to display on the light strips that illuminate the wall behind your TV.

Unboxing and setup
Included in the box is the 4D Screen Mirror camera, a Lightstrip Kit for TVs and monitors up to 65" in size (there is also an option for up to 85"), a controller, as well as brackets to stick to the back of your TV via the included adhesive strips to house the Lightstrip. There's also a mount for the camera and the inclusion of a magnetic privacy cover.

Setting up is simple enough – the brackets attach behind the four corners of the TV to ensure the Lightstrip wraps around the rear of your TV with ease and into the controller via USB-C. The Lightstrip can also be trimmed to ensure it's tailored to fit your screen.

The camera plugs into the controller via USB-A and attaches to the top of your screen via the included mount, or you could opt to place it on your entertainment unit below the TV if you prefer. The power supply also plugs directly into the controller.

After the physical setup is done, you can calibrate everything via the Nanoleaf app to ensure optimal performance.

Performance
Nanoleaf wants you to 'take your entertainment beyond the screen', and the 4D does just that. The lighting feels incredibly vivid.

The Lightstrip has ten colour zones per metre, which allows for a handful of colours to appear at any one time and results in an accurate representation of what's on your screen.

There are four main modes for screen mirroring available to toggle through via the app – 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D. 1D is just a static white light which gives a nice ambience around the screen, 2D displays a dominant colour from the screen, 3D mirrors many of the colours from the screen, while 4D gives you the full immersive experience.

The 4D mode does a great job of syncing with the colours and their placements to almost extend your screen onto your wall. It's great for watching movies, your latest series binge or for gaming on a big screen. Moreover, you can utilise Rhythm sound to sync the lights to your music.

The modes themselves can be customised, too, if everything becomes a little too immersive.

It's worth noting that you can connect to other Nanoleaf products that might be dotted around your living room via Sync+ to immerse yourself even more. The possibilities are almost endless.

Verdict
While there are other products out there that do a similar job, the Nanoleaf 4D is probably the best value out there. For instance, you've got the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync box, which works via HDMI rather than via a camera but is considerably more expensive.

Controlling everything via the app is simple, and it's great to be able to flick through the different settings to find the perfect ambience for what you're watching on screen. Imagine the fun you can have when Oppenheimer and Barbie are finally available to stream at home. 

If full immersion is what you're after, the Nanoleaf 4D ticks all the boxes.