Moonside Lamp One Review

Smart lighting is always a great option when looking at ways to spice up a room. Whether it’s an entertainment space, office, bedroom, etc., I’ve long believed that smart lighting is the way to go. There are endless possibilities when it comes to colour options. With that comes a slew of options of where to turn and Moonside is entering the conversation with its Lamp One.

There is no shortage of premium lighting options available on the market. Some range up to a couple of hundred dollars for a static lighting unit. The Moonside Lamp One comes in as more of an entry-level unit, priced at $140 CAD. It offers a number of customization settings that users can take advantage of. Plus, it’s an easy-to-use device that takes no time at all to set up through your app. However, there are a few notable drawbacks that come to mind, especially for smart home integration.

Out of the Box

The Moonside Lamp One has an effortless setup process. That is exemplified when opening up the package. In the box, you’ll find the 3.97 x 3.97 x 6.5-inch lamp itself. Additionally, a 40-inch USB-C power cable is included in the box. Moonside also packages a 15W power adapter for use. Note that despite its size, the Moonside Lamp One does not have a battery. The lamp also comes with a setup manual card with a QR code to follow and instructions to install the Moonside app on iOS or Android.

The Moonside Lamp One is compact and can fit in virtually any space you desire. It’s even small enough to place on a bedside table or in the corner of your office desk. Unfortunately, I was expecting more from the build quality. The Lamp One is comprised of frosted plastic. It’s nice when the light beams through it and creates a nice atmosphere. However, when holding it or looking at the unit powered off, it looks a little bit cheap.

For setup, there’s really not much to it. You’ll need to plug in the USB-C cord, install the app and sync it via Bluetooth. From there you can customize and tailor your experience within the app. If you’re looking to integrate it into your smart home, Moonside includes options to pair with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa via Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, there is no option to pair it with a HomeKit device. 

A bright light

If customizable lighting is what you’re looking for, Moonside delivers. In fact, there are an impressive amount of lighting and colour options available. The Moonside Lamp One supports 16 million colours via its LEDs. The light array can support 120 dynamic colour zones all customizable within the app. This makes for a fully tailored experience, all dependent on the atmosphere and ambiance you’re trying to create.

Credit: Moonside

Thanks to the number of preset options available, you can create a cozy environment in your bedroom, fit for reading a book before bed. Alternatively, you can select a vibrant blue or pink to compliment your streaming setup. There are also a ton of themes to choose from including Rainbow One. Many of which create this lava lamp-like effect where the colours bleed across the lampshade. You can even create your own settings and themes.

There’s no shortage of options to choose from to suit your lifestyle and aesthetic. Moonside also states new themes are added over time. If you’re looking to get more out of your unit, you can expect frequent updates to the Lamp One to come back to. 

There is one option to pair the lighting with reactive sounds. However, upon testing, the Moonside Lamp One didn’t react all that well to music being played nearby. It was only when deep bass was picked up that the reactive lighting would kick in. It would appear as though the Moonside Lamp One’s sensitivity isn’t finely tuned to pick up softer music or low-bass audio.

Final thoughts

The Moonside Lamp One offers a staggering number of colour options via LED lighting. Add to it the number of customization options to create your own lighting effects, there are plenty of reasons why this unit is in the conversation of notable smart lighting units. It can also be integrated into your preexisting Google Assistant and Alexa ecosystems.

However, there are a few shortcomings to address and consider. The build of the Lamp One is underwhelming, especially considering its $140 CAD price tag. Moonside does claim HomeKit support is coming down the line. Though, users will be left waiting until this happens. If you’re able to look past this, the Moonside Lamp One is a fitting lighting array for any room in your home.