Nanoleaf’s new Expo Smart Display Cases are an eye-catching way to make a carefully curated collection the focus of any room. Each case features diffused color-changing LED lighting, and multiple cases can be stacked to create a larger display with colors and animated lighting that syncs across hundreds of cases. They’re available now individually for $79.99, or you can save $20 by opting for a four-pack for $299.99.
Made from “premium grade ABS resin,” the cases feature evenly diffused LED lighting to minimize shadows and hotspots around what’s displayed inside. Unlike display cases with a single overhead spotlight, Nanoleaf is taking an approach similar to the product lighting used in professional photoshoots.
A transparent door keeps dust at bay while triggering “subtle lighting effects” when opened and closed thanks to hidden magnetic sensors. Each display case also has its own control panel, allowing its individual lighting to be adjusted, but the LED effects get even more impressive when you group a few of them together.
The Expo Smart Display Cases can be stacked and arranged either side by side or on top of each other, automatically creating connections that share power between them. Up to eight of the cases can be powered by a single 42W power supply or up to 16 of them with a 75W power source.
When connected to a Wi-Fi network and the Nanoleaf mobile app, the company’s LayoutDetect technology automatically determines the location of each case in a custom layout — up to 300 of them at once — simplifying the setup process for those with lots of figures (or sneakers) to display.
By knowing the location of each display case relative to the others, users can activate animated lighting displays that spread across them, including thousands of preset scenes or custom effects created in Nanoleaf’s app. The LEDs in the display cases can even be used as a music visualizer, pulsing to the beat of a song, or as bias lighting, mirroring the colors of what’s on a nearby TV screen.
The only thing that might give collectors pause is the price. If you were to max out the system’s capabilities and fill a giant wall with 300 of them, you’d pay $22,499.25. That’s a lot of money that could be spent on more shoes, more Funko Pops, or more Lego sets.
