Dyson Lightcycle review: The magic lamp of our times

Dyson Lightcycle Review: Money gives you the finer things in life. It can also give you the brighter things in life, like the Dyson Lightcycle. If you haven’t heard of the Dyson Lightcycle, it is about time you did. This is an intelligent desk light from Dyson which is unlike anything you have seen before. It also costs more than what you would have ever thought of paying for a task light.

The Dyson Lightcycle is a stunning piece of design. But then not a big surprise as we are used to such stunners from Dyson. It is minimalist, practical and superbly functional. And despite also this, it will also be the most stylish thing in the room.

The minimalist design means the lamp has a base that’s heavy and holds the tall structure in place. There is a vertical shaft on which there is a perpendicular shaft that houses the LED bulb. On the vertical shaft is a USB-C port in case you want to charge devices on the desk. On the horizontal one, there are three buttons that let you control the lights — auto, daylight and motion detection. There are two toggles on then top to change light warmth manually and also intensity. On top of the bulb is a touch sensitive power button.

But to understand all this, you need to be enlightened on the concept of Lightcycle. To put it simply, Dyson is suggesting that natural light is the best for humans, but when we are indoors we are deprived of these changes in light based on the time of the day. So Lightcycle, thanks to its smartphone induced intelligence, is able to change the intensity and colour of the light based on your local time. So the light on your desktop will the same warmth, colour and intensity as your local daylight.

So this lamp is synced with the Dyson app, both for this intelligence as well as controls. And this means more. The app also lets you select some preset modes like relax, study, and an ultra-bright precision mode where the brightness is at a 1000lux. You can also change the warmth of the light manually, or just let it be in auto. Either way it gives you control to achieve the perfect lighting for whatever you are up to.

The one feature I liked the most was where the app selections the brightness and warmth based on your age. Being at an age where I am for the first time struggling to read the fine print, this is a great feature to have.

If there is one grouse I have with the Dyson Lightcycle, it is the fact that the lamp only moves the vertical shaft up and down in a 90-degree angle. There were times I wanted the light to be in an angle, but that can’t be — so use this only as a desk lamp it doesn’t adjust well to become a bedside lamp if you need it to be one. Also, when you touch the horizontal bar it does tend to slide down a bit too easily for my liking.

As you touch the top of the lamp, where the power button, is the intensity of the light goes up and down so that you can set it exactly the way you want. There is also the motion sensor which switches off the light when you have been away for a while and switches it back on when you are nearby. Yes, this is an intelligent lamp in more ways than one. The daylight control also works very well, though I ended up preferring a bright light, they way I am used to.

One of the reasons the Dyson Lightcycle costs as much as it does is because the company claims it lasts up to 60 years. If your grand children will also be able to read under this lamp, then it better cost a bit more than your regular light. Dyson claims this is possible because it uses heat pipe technology to ensure the LED does not over heat. And that is an achievement given that this LED can go really bright if needed.

The Dyson Lightcycle is a magic light in more ways than one. But there are two questions you need to ask: one, do you want a light this intelligent; and, two, can you afford a light that is this intelligent? Go ahead an buy if you find a positive answer for both. The Dyson Lightcycle is priced Rs 39,900.