AYWA, Tangram Lighting’s Gesture-Controlled Reading Lamp Review

BrandsWalk Creative |
I spend a lot of time at my desk, so I decided to put more thought into the lighting around me. I wanted something that would feel comfortable to use while I worked, and I’m always drawn to minimal designs and products that function well. When I came across the Tangram AYWA Reading Lamp, the metal construction, unusual shape and advertised color rendering made me excited to try it. Now that I’ve lived with it, I have it on my nightstand. I really like the quality of the light, although the gesture controls haven’t become as natural to use as I’d hoped.

What drew me to AYWA

The weight was one of the first things that stood out. It gives the lamp a substantial feel and makes me more confident about its stability when repositioning it. Tangram specifies an aluminum body and a weight of 1.7 kg, which helps explain that impression.

I like that the design gives you room to change how you use it. The rotating arm lets you redirect the light and change the lamp’s shape, moving between reading and ambient lighting. It’s a useful idea for an object that might end up somewhere different from where you originally imagined it.

The light itself

The light quality is something I’m happy with, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve kept AYWA on my nightstand. Its advertised CRI rating was part of what interested me before I bought it.

Tangram lists CRI 90 LEDs. CRI describes how closely a light renders a set of test colors compared with a reference light of a similar color temperature, with 100 as the maximum. A higher score generally means closer color fidelity in that test; it doesn’t tell you everything about how a light will look or feel.

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The controls take some learning

The gesture control is the part I’ve found harder to get used to. I’ve gone back to the manual and watched the instructional video more than once since owning the lamp. That probably says more about the experience than a quick demonstration of someone waving it on.

AYWA uses different control modes for brightness, light temperature and the timer. There’s a sequence to learn, and for me it hasn’t been something I picked up once and immediately remembered.

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Placement makes a difference

When I used it as my nightstand, there was another practical issue. In the orientation I’m using, the sensor points toward where my back would be when I sit up in bed. Sometimes, when I reach over to pick something up from the nightstand, I get close enough to trigger it accidentally.

The manual lists a sensor detection range of 15 cm. That makes the direction it faces worth thinking about, especially beside a bed or anywhere your body or hands regularly pass close to the lamp. In my setup, those ordinary movements can become unintended commands.

I still like AYWA’s metal build, the Ultra Violet finish and the light it gives me. But I’ve had to think more about its position and learn more about its controls than I expected. If you’re considering one, I’d pay attention to where the sensor will face in your own space. The design caught my attention; living with it has shown me why the everyday details matter just as much.

As an Amazon Associate, BrandsWalk earns from qualifying purchases made through links in this article.

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