What smart bulbs are there for Philips Hue and which one should you buy?

 

(Pocket-lint) - In the last few years, the Philips Hue smart lighting system has evolved significantly, further cementing its position at the top of the smart lighting pile in both popularity and the number of available items.

Now it's pretty safe to assume that the range of connected LED lighting from Philips has an option to match just about any socket you could think of.

That's why, to give you an idea of how you can add colour and atmosphere to your life, we have put together a simple, handy list of the current Philips Hue bulb line-up.

Bear in mind that we did not include Philips' other Hue goods and controllers, just the bulbs themselves.

What is Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is a lighting device that, depending on your mood, works in combination with iOS and Android apps and smart home hubs to change colour or white levels. In order to turn on, off or change the lighting style via your home network, it can also be connected to other Internet of Things devices.

This works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Nest, Samsung SmartThings, and several other gadgets for smart homes. However, you don't need any of them to use Philips Hue lighting - all new Philips bulbs now come with Bluetooth on board, which means that when in range, you can monitor them from your phone.

There are numerous bulbs and lighting items in the range, and when connected to your network through a Philips Hue Bridge - a small connected hub that is wired to your router and controls the lights wirelessly, they reach their full potential. As part of a starter kit, this is sometimes discovered.

With a Zigbee remote, such as the Amazon Echo Plus, you can even directly control Hue bulbs.

There are various types of bulbs, most of which fall into two groups of lighting: white and colour atmosphere, which can show millions of colours, and white atmosphere, which can be optimized for a wide variety of warm or cool white lighting choices. There are also excellent filament options now too.

There are some Philips Hue lights that work in your garden if you're looking for outdoor lighting, but we've focused here on indoor options.

What Philips Hue bulbs are available?

For all types of fittings and models, there are bulbs in the collection that give white ambience or white and colour ambience. Here is the range you will currently receive.

Know, to exert complete control over these light bulbs, you will need the Philips Bridge, while Bluetooth control will still give you a good taste of what they are capable of.

If you have the bulb turned on eight hours a day every day of the year, Philips says all its bulbs will last up to 25,000 hours each - around eight-and-a-half years.

Philips Hue white ambiance E14 Candle

This candle comes with an E14 screw fitting, one of Philip's newer Hue bulbs, and has a 6W LED output equal to 40W. Otherwise known as B39, the candle shape factor is.

From warm to cool white, it is capable of more than 50,000 shades of white.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance E14 Candle

The Candle's colour variant also has an LED power output of 6.5W with an E14 screw fitting and B39 form factor. However, it has the same lumen production, of 470lm at 4000K.

It is capable of more than 50,000 shades of white as well but adds a blend of 16 million colours.

Philips Hue white extension bulb A19/E27

This A19/E27 screw fitting lamp, the most widely used bulb in many households, has a power output of 9.5W and a form factor of A60.

Its light output is 806lm and is smart, but the colour or white tone does not change. That means that the same colour temperature of 2,700K (warm white) will remain, but it can be dimmed and remotely turned on and off.

Philips Hue white ambiance extension bulb A19/E27

The white ambient variant with A19/E17 screw fitting has a 10W power output, similar to the above but with a flatter form factor. At 4000K, its brightness is up to 800 lumens.

It is capable of more than 50,000 shades of white and is down to one percent dimmable through Hue compatible devices.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance extension bulb A19/E27

This A19/E27 screw fitting bulb is capable of slightly higher performance, at up to 806 lumens at 4000K, exactly the same form factor as the white ambient version. It's an LED 10W bulb.

Both shades of white plus 16 million colours are in it. A newer edition, with a richer colour palette, has recently been released.

You may notice some of the colours do not fit the first generation bulbs if you have an older Hue scheme.

Philips Hue white ambiance extension bulb B22

Commonly referred to as a bayonet fitting, although it is slightly brighter, this white single bulb is the same as the A19/E7 variant, capable of up to 806 lumens at 4000K.

With more than 50,000 shades of white, it can be set.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance extension bulb B22

Again the B22 comes with a bayonet fitting instead, identical to the A19/E17 variant of the colour bulb above. However it only goes up to 600 lumens at 4000K in luminosity.

Both shades of white and 16 million colours are offered.

It is also a bulb with a "richer colour" so it does not fit older versions.

Philips Hue white ambiance extension bulb GU10

The GU10 form factor, built for spot lights, has two locking pins and is normally recessed into a ceiling or spot lamp. At 4000K, this bulb has a maximum power output of 5.5W and a brightness of up to 300 lumens.

It also provides more than 50,000 shades of white, from mild to cool. And it can be dimmed down to one percent via Hue compatible devices.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance extension bulb GU10

The same exact form factor as the GU10 above, but with a maximum output power of 6.5W. However at up to 250 lumens at 4000K, it has less brightness.

To the various shades of white that can be accomplished, it adds 16 million colours.

Philips Hue Lightstrips

Lightstrips would be looked at by several individuals looking to add a little colour lighting to their home. This is an LED lighting strip that fits with the Hue system (so it's also compatible with Alexa and Google Home), but there are two separate types of Lightstrips, the original and Plus versions. Both are white and coloured and both can be cut to length, but it is also possible to expand the Plus, making it much more versatile, the original is less commonly available, but be sure you purchase the correct version.

Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus

With an adhesive back, the Hue Lightstrip is designed to add mood lighting to your room, so it can be stuck under desks or furniture, or behind your TV, to provide up to 16 million colours of warm or cool white light.

It comes with a length of 2 m, but you add extension cables with Lightstrip Plus, or extend the running of the LED lights themselves, so it's very versatile.

Philips Hue Filament Bulbs 

Philips Hue white filament bulb A19/E27

One of the newest additions to the Hue collection by Philips is its recent offering of filament bulbs. These bulbs have a lovely retro feel to them, shining to give you a touch of hipster chic at what seems like a lower wattage.

They're a great decorative choice and really lend a room or atmosphere character.

Philips Hue white filament bulb B22

The filament bulbs can also be purchased with the B22 bayonet cap if you need a particular fitting. However don't anticipate any colour control because of the filament style. By choosing this stylish sort of bulb, you're sacrificing the strength.

What Philips Hue starter kits are available?

You will need a Philips Hue Bridge to connect your Hue bulbs to a home network, as we said above. These also come with two or three bulbs included as part of a starter kit.

If you do not have Philips Hue lighting in your home already, here are the starter kits we suggest.

Philips Hue white starter kit A19/E27

This comes with the Philips Bridge 2.0 and as detailed above, two 9.5W white bulbs with A19/E27 screw fittings. They have a set white colour, but Philips Hue is the cheapest way to get in.

Philips Hue white ambiance starter kit A19/E27

This includes two A19/E27 white ambient light bulbs capable of more than 50,000 shades of white and a wireless dimming switch, the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance starter kit A19/E27

You get the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0 and three A19/E27 white and colour ambient light bulbs with 16 million colours in this box. They are the richer variants of colour.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance starter kit B22

Essentially, just the same as the above package, except that with the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0.0, you get three B22 bayonet fitting versions of the bulbs.

Philips Hue white and colour ambiance starter kit GU10

Another package that, with the exception of the spot light GU10 form factor, includes three of the multicolor attached bulbs. Also with this package, you get the Philips Bridge 2.0 hub.