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The new $250 Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Pro will work with Alexa, IFTTT, and Nest.
Simplehuman
Simplehuman, a manufacturer of everyday household items ranging from a $26 paper towel holder to the $400 Wi-Fi Wide-View Sensor Mirror, just released a new product — the $250 Sensor Mirror Pro.
The Sensor Mirror Pro has a lot of the basic stuff you’d expect from a pricey vanity mirror. It comes with 5x and 10x magnification for applying things up close and personal — think liquid eyeliner, eyelash curling, foundation contouring — and any other makeup application or general personal grooming that would be easier in tight focus.
It also has a “tru-lux light system” with a color rendering index (CRI) of 90. Check out this overview of CRI scores for more details, but generally the closer the number is to 100, the better a light approximates natural light. Professional hair and makeup artist Cynthia Laws told me that daylight is the best case scenario for applying makeup, smart mirror so a CRI score of 90 seems like a very good sign for this mirror.
In addition, the mirror’s built-in LEDs are designed to light up automatically when it detects your presence. This feature is also available with the Wide-View Sensor Mirror, but it didn’t always work. The lights would shut off unexpectedly when I was applying makeup on occasion (see the video review below). Hopefully Simplehuman made some improvements with this latest iteration.
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This new mirror also does some things you wouldn’t expect. It has an app and an IFTTT channel so you can create custom rules like, “If it’s overcast out, then set the Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Pro to overcast preset.” Nest also added Simplehuman to its Works with Nest smart-home integrations platform on May 17. With this partnership, smart mirror you’re supposed to be able to sync the light settings from your Nest Cam to the LEDs in your Sensor Mirror Pro.
Simplehuman also has plans to add Amazon Alexa integration into the mix in early June. While this isn’t available just yet, you should be able to say things like, “Alexa, ask the mirror to set brightness to 50 percent” and “Alexa, ask the mirror to use the office setting.” I’m not convinced that these smart features add much value, but it will be fun to test them out all the same. Stay tuned.