Philips Hue Lights: Bigger, Brighter, and More Affordable Now
▼ Summary
– Philips Hue launched its largest-ever product lineup at IFA, including new smart lights, a redesigned bridge, light strips, and security devices.
– The new Hue Bridge Pro offers increased capacity, faster performance, Wi-Fi connectivity, and advanced features like motion-aware lighting.
– Hue introduced an affordable Essentials line of bulbs and light strips with Matter-over-Thread support, starting at $15 per bulb in multipacks.
– The flagship A19 bulbs were upgraded with 40% better energy efficiency, deeper dimming, and Matter-over-Thread connectivity.
– Hue expanded its light strip offerings with seven new models, including the high-performance OmniGlow and outdoor options, alongside permanent outdoor lighting products.
Philips Hue has unveiled its most significant product expansion to date, introducing a suite of new smart lighting solutions that promise greater affordability, enhanced performance, and broader compatibility. The announcement, made at the IFA tech show in Berlin, includes a redesigned central hub, a new budget-friendly lighting range, and expanded options for light strips and outdoor installations.
Central to the new ecosystem is the Hue Bridge Pro, a third-generation hub priced at $89.99. This marks the first major upgrade to the bridge in a decade, featuring a faster processor, expanded memory, and support for up to 150 lights and 50 accessories, triple the capacity of its predecessor. The Pro model also introduces Wi-Fi connectivity, eliminating the need for placement near a router, and enables the innovative Hue MotionAware feature, which repurposes existing lights as motion sensors. A seamless migration tool simplifies the transition from older bridges, with multi-bridge consolidation support expected by year’s end.
In a strategic move to attract new users, Philips Hue is launching its Essential line of smart bulbs, starting at just $15 each in multipacks. These bulbs maintain full compatibility with the Hue ecosystem, including support for lighting scenes, schedules, and remote control. While they offer slightly reduced specifications, such as a narrower dimming range and more basic color quality, they integrate the same core technologies, including Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Matter-over-Thread connectivity. This allows direct pairing with platforms like Apple Home and Amazon Alexa without requiring a bridge, though a Matter controller is needed for Thread setup.
Alongside the Essentials, Hue is refreshing its flagship A19 bulb with improved energy efficiency and the ability to dim to 0.2 percent brightness. Color models now feature ChromaSync technology for superior color matching. All new bulbs include next-gen connectivity chips supporting Matter-over-Thread, with prices starting at $15.99 for white-only versions.
Light strips receive considerable attention in this launch, with seven new models slated for release. The standout is the OmniGlow strip, which uses advanced chip-scale packaging to eliminate spotting and delivers up to 4,500 lumens. A more affordable gradient option, the Flux strip, starts at $69.99, while an ultra-bright variant reaching 6,000 lumens is planned for next year. New accessories, including corners, extenders, and blackout cables, offer installation flexibility, with some strips supporting runs of up to 20 meters.
Outdoor lighting expands with permanent options like the Festavia Globe string lights and fixed roofline lights, both designed for year-round use. These join a growing portfolio of weather-resistant products, reinforcing Hue’s commitment to comprehensive smart lighting solutions.
This extensive rollout strengthens Philips Hue’s position in a competitive market, combining innovation with accessibility to meet diverse user needs.
(Source: The Verge)
