The NOOK Galaxy Projector is a fun projector/speaker that’s cool for both adults and kids. It is an easy way to instantly change up the vibes in your room, whether that’s because you’re looking to impress a date, entertain the kiddos or give yourself something fun to look at while listening to tunes. Though slightly more expensive than some of the top-rated options on Amazon (which you can find here and here), NOOK’s take on the product held promise from our perspective. Could the relatively young consumer electronics brand improve upon the straightforward star projector product category? Would their Galaxy Projector fare as well as NOOK’s smart lights? We were eager to find out.
NOOK sent SPY a Galaxy Projector to review. Our thoughts on their latest gadget below.
NOOK Galaxy Projector: What We Liked
- Easy to setup
- Organic looping pattern
- Great way to instantly change the mood of a room (for the better!)
First and foremost, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “galaxy projector.” The laser lights that you can turn on and off kind of resemble stars, but they are more like green dots as opposed to stars. Instead of a galaxy projector, I like to call this the “vibe light.” I’ll explain more in a moment.
If you plan on putting this in your bedroom, you might have to get a little creative to get it to fill the entirety of the ceiling. The cable it comes with isn’t super long, (it also doesn’t come with a wall outlet or block, so you’ll need an extra laying around your home) and in my bedroom, the bed takes up the majority of the space. Obviously, the center of the room works best, but I set it next to an outlet by my door and it still covered most of the room (my bedposts blocked a small area). I didn’t mind the light being on the floor, but admittedly, it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing place.
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Ok, now to the vibes. The light is pretty bright and prominent on the wall and that’s a good thing. You can adjust the brightness of the projections or choose between two fade settings that fade completely to black then turn back on with a different colored pattern.
There is only one wave pattern available, but you can customize the speed of the pattern (there are three speeds available). You can also mix and match the colors and choose to turn the green laser dots on and off whenever you want. The lights it displays on the wall are pretty outstanding. And even though the pattern essentially stays the same, you don’t get bored with it — it continues to look random and fun. I can be a bit OCD with these types of things and fixate on trying to find where the pattern loops. But trust me, I tried, and never caught it.
Admittedly, hanging out in the bedroom with this light does remind me of going to that “one friend’s” dorm in college to … get in the right state of mind to play four straight hours of Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64. To each their own. I could also see it as a mood provider for a late-night date nightcap.
Regardless of your intended use-case, I enjoyed NOOK’s Galaxy Projector when it came to setting a mellow vibe.
NOOK Galaxy Projector: What We Didn’t Like
- Speaker isn’t great
- Unnecessary strobe feature
There is a Bluetooth speaker built into the Galaxy Projector but it sounds terrible. Honestly, I’d rather listen to music coming straight from my phone than through the speaker.
Also, there is a weird “strobe/hit” button on the remote that makes the lights strobe in blue with the lasers once, twice or three times. No way to change which colors it strobes with or how many times it flashes — those are simply your options. I didn’t really see a point to ever press that button. You’d think the strobe button would make the lasers continuously strobe, not just shutter on and off a couple of times.
Personal preference, I definitely dug the vibe of the light patterns without the laser lights on, but overall, there’s nothing wrong with the laser lights.
Quick side note: do not under any circumstances look directly into the projector light. My goodness, that’s a quick way to lose your vision. I was looking down at it right as I plugged it in and I certainly regretted that decision.
Verdict: An Easy Way To Improve the Vibes
You can spice things up in the bedroom with a little bit of mood lighting and music (please use a different speaker though), or your kids can use it as a night light before they go to bed. Whatever you decide to do with it, simply put, the NOOK Galaxy Projector is a fun light to have for setting a mellow vibe in your home.
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