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The Philips Clear LED

Philips newest LED offering is a 40W replacement with a clear bulb and a clear focus on aesthetics. Click through for a closer look.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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A diamond in the rough?

The Philips Clear LED emphasizes the bulb's interior design, rather than hiding it, with a shiny, gemlike prism in the center.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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A modern classic?

The prism reflects the light from the diodes for a modern take on the classic exposed filament look.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Inconspicuous heat sinks

The light is also carefully designed to minimize the heat sinks, which keeps the base of the bulb thin.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Diode placement

There are no diodes inside the bulb. Instead, they sit just beneath, on top of the base, and are reflected up through that prism.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Bulb specs

The Philips Clear puts out 470 lumens of light using 6 watts, which is quite respectable for a 40W replacement.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Color temperature

The Philips Clear LED glows at a warm color temperature of 2,700 K, which falls in line with its mission of mimicking classic incandescent lighting.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Dimmability

The new bulbs are fully dimmable and worked well on multiple types of in-wall dimmers when we tested one out.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Nothing to hide

The exposed interior of the bulb makes for a design that stands out. Consumers looking for bulbs to replace the old incandescents lining their bathroom mirror might like what they see.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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Availability

The Philips Clear LED is due out in Europe sometime this summer, and in the US by the end of the year. There's no word on pricing yet, though similar LEDs retail around $9 to $12 (£5 to £7). We'll have to wait and see what kind of premium Philips charges for the bulb's aesthetics.

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Published:June 20, 2014Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Colin West McDonald/CNETDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.

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