Why You Can Trust CNET Philips Hue Go puts smart lighting on the move
With a new battery-powered smart fixture and lower pricing for the white-light-only Hue Lux LEDs, the Hue family is continuing to mature.
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Philips is adding another color-changing smart light to the Hue family this summer, and with a built-in, rechargeable battery, you'll be able to take it with you around the home. Dubbed Philips Hue Go, the hemispherical fixture will retail for $100 when it makes its debut this June.
Sitting about the size of a cereal bowl, the plastic-bodied Philips Hue Go connects wirelessly with the Philips Hue bridge over Zigbee, with controls situated in the Philips Hue app on your Android or iOS device. For quick changes, you can press a button on the bottom of the device to cycle through a handful of preset tones, or sync it up with the Philips Hue Tap . You'll also be able to integrate it with third-party apps and devices built to work with Hue, including IFTTT.
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See all pricesThe Hue Go plugs into the wall using a standard DC jack, but it'll keep shining after you unplug it thanks to the built-in battery. Fully charged, Philips tells us the thing will shine for at least three hours -- more if the brightness isn't dialed all the way up.
Like the original Philips Hue LED bulbs , the Philips Hue Go boasts a full RGB spectrum of colors to choose from, along with a separate spectrum of white light tones ranging from 2,000K to 6,500K. Plugged in, the Hue Go's LEDs draw just 6 watts and claim to put out 300 lumens at peak brightness -- reasonably bright for an accent light.
This isn't Philips' first foray into smart fixtures. Last year, the brand unveiled Philips Hue Beyond , a series of high-end fixtures with color-changing smart LEDs built right in. Consider Hue Go to be Beyond's much simpler, much less expensive counterpart.
In addition to the arrival of Hue Go, Philips is also announcing new, lower pricing for its Philips Hue Lux line of white-light-only smart LEDs. Two-bulb starter kits that come packed with the Philips Hue Bridge will retail for $80 (down from $100), while individual bulbs will sell for $20 each (down from $30).
The Philips Hue Go is expected to sell on Amazon and at Best Buy and the Apple Store by early June. European shoppers can find it even sooner, with units selling this month for €100 each. Australian availability isn't locked down just yet, though Philips already sells other Hue products in the region.