Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Review: A Sweet, Affordable Treat

For those seeking an affordable and stylish smart lamp that blends seamlessly into home decor, Ikea’s updated Varmblixt smart lamp presents a compelling option. This charming, donut-shaped light now offers color-changing capabilities, dimming, and smart home integration, all for a reasonable price point. After testing it as a bedside lamp in a teenager’s room, it earned rare approval for its pleasant ambiance and functional design. The lamp provides a soft, accent glow perfect for creating mood lighting rather than illuminating tasks.

Priced at $100, the Varmblixt sits at an attractive entry point for smart accent lighting. Its output is modest at 180 lumens, making it unsuitable for reading but ideal for casting a warm glow in a small space. The lamp features a new matte finish that showcases its color options more effectively than the older glossy version, which only emitted orange light. It can be placed flat on a surface or mounted on a wall, with the latter option freeing up valuable table space. A significant practical advantage is its user-replaceable bulb, rated for 25,000 hours of use.

Out of the box, the lamp operates simply with an included Bilresa remote control. This pre-paired remote allows for basic functions like power, dimming, and cycling through twelve preset colors curated by designer Sabine Marcelis. These include various shades of white, blue, green, pink, orange, and yellow. The remote uses standard AAA batteries, a more convenient and economical choice than coin cells. For more advanced features, connecting the lamp to a smart home system unlocks its full potential.

To access hundreds of additional colors, scheduling, and automation, the Varmblixt must be added to a smart home ecosystem. This requires either an Ikea Dirigera hub or a Matter-compatible platform like Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa. Integration enables features like adaptive lighting, which automatically adjusts the white light temperature throughout the day, and the creation of custom scenes. Users can also pair the lamp with other devices, such as Ikea’s affordable motion sensor, for automated control.

Initial setup with the included remote is straightforward, a welcome improvement over Ikea’s older, more complicated pairing processes. However, integrating the lamp into broader smart home systems has presented some challenges. Earlier this year, users reported connectivity issues with Ikea’s new product line. The company has released several hub updates that seem to have improved stability. In testing, pairing the lamp with the Dirigera hub succeeded on the first attempt, though connecting it to Apple Home via Matter required multiple tries.

Once connected, the Home Smart app provides extensive control over brightness, color selection, and scene creation. The remote can be configured as a scene controller, allowing its buttons to activate different lighting setups. It can also command multiple lights and smart plugs, offering impressive utility for a low-cost accessory. The ability to add a motion sensor for under ten dollars highlights the increasing affordability of smart home components.

The lamp’s primary drawback is its appearance when powered off, where its utilitarian design and visible cable can look somewhat drab. Yet, when illuminated, its fun and versatile character shines. Compared to flashy RGB options from brands like Govee, the Varmblixt offers more decor-friendly versatility. While companies like Philips Hue and LIFX sell stylish fixtures, they are often more expensive and lack replaceable bulbs. Leveraging its design expertise and value focus, Ikea has created a practical and beautiful smart lamp that successfully merges form with function, making advanced lighting accessible and aesthetically pleasing.