Harlowe’s new Sol 5 Spectra smartphone light will improve the quality of your photos and selfies or help you set a dramatic mood. It features a similar extending and swiveling design as Harlowe’s original Sol 5 light, but instead of just basic brightness and color temperature adjustments, the new Spectra adds full-color LEDs so you can select one of 36,000 different hues using either a touch panel on the back or a connected smartphone app.
The Sol 5 Spectra is launching today in Asia, Europe, and Australia for $199 — a significant step up from the original’s $79 price tag. However, as a result of Trump raising tariffs on Chinese goods up to 145 percent, Harlowe is postponing the US launch of the Sol 5 Spectra. “As of today’s position with tariffs, we are optimistic that the light will release in the US this Spring,” Harlowe spokesperson Kiran Karnani told The Verge. “We are doing everything in our power not to raise our prices as a result of the tariffs.”
Like the original, the Sol 5 Spectra attaches to the back of any smartphones that has a Qi2-compatible magnetic mount, or has been upgraded with the magnetic adhesive rings that Harlowe includes. The company compares its size to a compact makeup mirror, but at 1.26-inches thick and weighing 154 grams, you’re definitely going to notice the Spectra hanging off the back of your device.
The light can be used while folded flat against the back of your device, providing extra illumination when shooting with your phone’s main cameras. But it also swivels and is attached to a short extending arm so the light can be repositioned to face you, improving selfies.
The Spectra’s brightness, hue, and color temperature (shifting between warmer and cooler tints of white light) can be adjusted using a touch panel on the back, but it’s not a screen. If you want to be able to dial in settings with more accuracy, the Spectra uses Bluetooth to connect to Harlowe’s mobile app, which provides more precise adjustments using color wheels, sliders, and exact percentages.
Its 1,000mAh battery is good for up to 90 minutes of illumination at full brightness, which is 220 lumens of light. There’s also a boost mode that temporarily doubles the brightness to 440 lumens for 30 seconds, but which will reduce the Spectra’s overall battery life.
The Sol 5 Spectra Standard Kit includes a magnetically-attached frosted dome that diffuses and softens light while also completely removing blue light, which the company says “enhances the quality of light for self-portraits.”
You can also opt for a more expensive $339 Sol 5 Spectra Creator Kit, which includes the frosted dome as well as two interchangeable magnetic Magic Lenses and five Magic Plates that create additional static lighting effects like patterns and textures.
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