Philips Hue's White Ambiance bulbs cut the colors (and the cost)
[MUSIC]
Philips' newest LEDs don't change colors, but they do change color temperatures offering a variety of white light tones ranging from warm candle light glows at one end of the spectrum and cool Blueish white daylight tones on the other.
Now along with two of those bulbs and this handy physical dimming switch, the $130 starter kit comes with a second gen Philips hue bridge.
That bridge let's you sync the bulbs up with Apple home kit, which means you can control them using Siri voice commands like this.
Hey Siri turn off the test bulb.
Okay the test bulb is off.
My main problem with these lights is that they aren't as bright as you might want.
Philips labels it at 800 lumens, which is about what you'd get from an ordinary 60 watt bulb, but if you check the specs online, you'll see that you only get that brightness at the 4000k setting.
And that is not the bulb's default setting, when you turn it on, it's about 2700k And at that 2700K setting you only get about 450 lumens, a 40 watt bulb's worth.
On top of that, when I try to find that 4000K, 800 lumens setting in the ocean of pixels that the app gives you, the best I could get was about 600 lumens.
That's less brightness than you'll get with color tunable competitors like the LIFEX White 800, the C by GE Sleep LED, and the Stack LED Downlight One other quirk that bugs me, Siri doesn't have a vocabulary for that white light spectrum, so if you ask her, set them to soft light or 2700 K, she'll just look at you funny.
She has no idea what that means.
You have to instead set up a scene in the Hue app that includes color temperature changes and then run that scene.
All that said, the white ambient LEDs work as well as other Philips Hue bulbs, which is to say that they're reliable and fairly easy to use.
And at $30 a bulb, they're also twice as affordable as Hughes' full-color LEDs, and they enjoy the same wide range of third party compatibility.
I just wish that on top of all that, you got a little more brightness for your buck.
Up Next
Coolest alternative smart light fixtures
Up Next
Coolest alternative smart light fixtures
See how easy it is to upgrade your garden lighting to LED
See how easy it is to upgrade your garden lighting to LED
C by GE swings for the smart lighting fences at CES 2019
C by GE swings for the smart lighting fences at CES 2019
How to buy bright LED light bulbs that don't suck
How to buy bright LED light bulbs that don't suck
Ikea's 'Tradfri' smart lights are very, very basic
Ikea's 'Tradfri' smart lights are very, very basic
Need new LED floodlights? We're here to help
Need new LED floodlights? We're here to help
You don't need a dimmer to dim the Philips SceneSwitch LED
You don't need a dimmer to dim the Philips SceneSwitch LED
GE's selling 'HD' LED light bulbs
GE's selling 'HD' LED light bulbs
New from Lifx: Night vision light bulbs for the smart home
New from Lifx: Night vision light bulbs for the smart home
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories 1 More Season
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories 1 More Season
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Latest How To All how to videos
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro