Do you think your Philips Hue bulbs could be a little brighter? Well, you’re in for some good news. A leak from HueBlog points to improvements on the horizon for the Hue lineup of smart bulbs. If it’s true, the new bulbs will be brighter by up to several hundred lumens.
The rumor is that Philips Hue will introduce two new lightbulbs capable of 1,100 and 1,600 lumens, respectively. The larger bulb will also have passive cooling to join its taller design, which helps manage the higher heat of the LED.
For the last few years, Philips has held an event toward the end of summer to introduce its next batch of compatible smart lighting. The company, which falls under the Signify brand, makes everything from smart bulbs and LED light strips to ambiance bulbs for chandeliers and even vintage-looking filament bulbs. However, the standard Hue color bulbs max out around 806 lumens, which is fine for a low-lit living room, but could limit folks with other lighting needs. By comparison, smart lights from competing brands like Lifx already max out at around 1017 lumens. When I mixed smart bulbs from both Philips and Lifx in my living room, the disparity in brightness was obvious at the maximum output.
Philips Hue may also expand its filament range. The Standard, Edison, and Globe shapes could become available with the same color spectrum as White Ambient lights, allowing for warm and cool white LEDs rather than the usual one-note. The maximum brightness would be 550 lumens, a little over 100 lumens more than the current E26 filament bulbs.
The HueBlog also teases “some new Hue products that are supposed to have Gradient technology.” This is the same ability available in the Philips Hue Gradient Lightstrip, which can simultaneously output various colors. European countries might also get an update to the E14, which is Philip Hue’s smallest bulb.
Philips Hue makes some of the best smart bulbs available for the smart home. However, they haven’t always been the brightest, with brands like Yeelight and Lifx taking the cake for higher lumens. That can be frustrating for some users who already note the higher relative cost of the Hue lights compared to the competition. A starter kit for the Hue costs $70, or $130 for two lights and the hub, with each additional lightbulb starting around $50. Lifx bulbs are about the same price when purchased individually, though Yeelight Smart LEDs have the same brightness and smart connectivity, and they’re half the price per bulb.
The main selling point of the Philips Hue is the wealth of different bulbs offered within its connected ecosystem. With more choices in the lineup, there’s something for everyone. But maybe hold off buying any new bulbs—at least until we see what Philips Hue has in store.
DISCUSSION
I want to say that for most people, I think the Smartbulb fad has died out. If you haven’t used smartbulbs, you will likely only buy them for a single generation, and then you’ll probably be sick of them. Now, I cannot speak for Phillips, because I’ve always found them to be overpriced, but I have used Sylvania’s version, which are just as good.
There are advantages to Smartbulbs, but the architecture is not as robust and you’ll probably run into a lot of headaches along the way, especially connectivity issues, power outage issues, and strange things, like individual bulbs turning on/off whenever they like.
A big problem with smarthome technology is that every manufacturer is trying to build their own walled garden. Smartbulb manufacturers are no different. Although my central hub is extremely versatile across many manufacturers, I mostly just stick with Z-wave devices, because it’s an extremely robust and open architecture.
I currently have a Wifi Thermostat by Honeywell. For me to tell my Echo Dot to change the temperature, the command has to leave my home, pass through 3 or 4 different protocols/apps, come back through the Wi-Fi connection and eventually change the temperature on my controller. Particularly because Honeywell insists that I connect directly through their Total Comfort App, which Smartthings has to talk to, which Amazon has to talk to, which I have to talk to.
I have the following requirements for any smarthome device I purchase: