Lume Cube XL review: app-Controlled 60W RGB Mini COB LED Light

This Lume Cube XL is a full-spectrum COB LED light that’s ultra-compact and lightweight, ideal for stills and video.

Lume Cube XL COB LED
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

I love that the Lume Cube XL fits in the palm of my hand yet gives a pretty powerful maximum output, at least for an LED light. It’s adjustable not only in intensity but also has a full range of RGB color and some neat special effects for video. It works well on its own and even better with the companion app over a Bluetooth connection, and there’s also a neat range of optional accessories.

Pros

  • +

    Full spectrum RGB lighting

  • +

    Compact and lightweight

  • +

    Bluetooth connectivity, free companion app

Cons

  • -

    Modest max output

  • -

    Battery pack only in pricier kits

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What’s a COB light anyway? For the uninitiated, it’s a ‘chip-on-board’ light based on an array of many LEDs, all built onto a single substrate with a coating over the top. This one joins a growing family of Lume Cube lighting products for stills and video. I’ve been dazzled (in a good way) by the Lume Cube Ring Light Pro, highly impressed with the pocketable Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 and have enjoyed the very affordable Lume Cube VC-Lite for Zoom meetings and the like. Thanks to some stylish and clever design work, good attention to detail and high-end build quality, the Lume Cube XL is a neat little monolight that offers a smart alternative to the best LED light panels.

Conveniently compact, the Lume Cube XL COB light might be ‘Extra Large’ in name but not in nature, being small enough to fit in your hand. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Max output23,000 Lux at 0.5m
CRI/TLCI97+/98+
Light colorFull spectrum
Special effects7 with 10 speeds each
Wireless controlBluetooth, free app
Mounting1/4" tripod, yoke
Power rating60W
Power supplyMains, optional battery grip
Swipe to scroll horizontally
FeaturesIt’s got a smart feature set but the least expensive kit can only be run off mains electricity.★★★★☆
DesignNeat, tidy and very well made, it’s robust and impeccably designed and finished.★★★★★
PerformanceNaturally, no LED light competes with flash for power, but it performs well for stills and video.★★★★★
ValueIt’s pretty pricey for an LED light but the performance, versatility and build quality make it good value.★★★★☆
Lume Cube Ring Light Pro

The Lume Cube Ring Light Pro is highly impressive and comes complete with an info panel and remote control. It’s ideal for portraiture and works a treat for content creators. It’s certainly not cheap for a ring light at $279.99 but is one of our absolute favorites.

Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0

The Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 slots into your camera’s hotshoe (or a spare pocket for carrying around) delivering full color spectrum lighting right where you need it. The upgraded 2.0 edition has increased brightness and battery life, plus power bank compatibility and a new app for remote control. It costs $179.99.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.