Tom's Guide Verdict
The smart LIFX Candle Color bulb packs imaginative polychrome technology, letting it light up a space with multiple shades at once.
Pros
- +
Custom paint options
- +
No hub required
- +
Works with most smart assistants
Cons
- -
Pricey
- -
Limited brightness
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The LIFX Candle Color smart bulb is the coolest electric candle I've ever seen. It's a distant relative of gimmicky fire-free candles, but provides an overall similar experience with its flickering function and unique multicolor capabilities. The smart light also works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for seamless smart-home integration. Microsoft Cortana and Samsung SmartThings are supported, too.
As someone who lives in an apartment where real candles are contraband, I couldn't wait to set up the Wi-Fi LIFX Candle Color feature bulb among my collection of smart lights and figure out where a product of this nature fits in with LED lighting solutions.
LIFX Candle Color price and availability
The LIFX Candle Bulb costs $44.99. You can order it now on LIFX's website.
LIFX Candle Color design
The Candle Bulb is LIFX's first product with an E12 base. It looks like it could belong in a modern chandelier, but for this review I paired it with a short, exposed table lamp on my nightstand.
When it's off, the LIFX Candle Color bulb isn't the most attractive piece of décor. The 3- ounce, 4.4-inch tall device looks like a lonely fixture all on its own.
But when it's on and emitting light, it can change the vibe of a room. Rather than adopting a single color, the LIFX Candle Color bulb supports several colors at once thanks to Polychrome technology. One section of the bulb can glow pink, while the other shines blue. When gradiented with the right shades of yellow and orange, it can lend the appearance of a real candle.
You can use predesigned scenes or paint your own in the LIFX app. The Polychrome integration establishes 26 customizable color zones, meaning you can design a number of combinations from the 16 million color temperatures available. If a static light isn't your thing, you can set the bulb to flicker, imitate fire, strobe and even sync with music.
MORE: Best Smart Light Bulbs of 2019
The LIFX Candle Color bulb has a voltage range of AC 100-240V 50/60 Hz. While the bulb can be dimmed impressively low, it doesn't get as equally as bright. But as a feature bulb, this isn't a true complaint. It's designed to be a fun accent, not a whole-room lighting solution.
LIFX Candle Color app and smart-home integration
The LIFX Candle Color bulb works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Cortana and SmartThings. But it pairs most easily with Apple HomeKit, like other LIFX bulbs in our list of best Apple HomeKit products. I used HomeKit to register the bulb with the LIFX app, which is used to customize the color of the bulb as well as enable its flickering features.
I also paired the LIFX Candle Color bulb to Amazon Alexa so I could control it by voice using the Echo Dot in my bedroom. While Alexa struggled to change the color on command (like it can with my Philips Hue Color bulb), it turned the LIFX bulb on and off with the rest of my lights.
MORE: The Best Products That Work With Amazon Alexa
Using either the LIFX app or your smart-home routines, you can schedule the LIFX Candle Color bulb to turn on and off, fade and change colors automatically. All of these features can be controlled within your home's Wi-Fi network — no hub required.
Bottom line
The LIFX Candle Color bulb makes an excellent night light. It's not quite bright enough to double as a desk lamp, but the soft luminosity adds the warmth of a real candle to a bedroom. Priced at $45 each, these bulbs are not the most affordable chandelier solution, though their E12 candelabra base suggests otherwise.
Whether you use a premade light scene or paint your own colorway, the polychrome technology in the LIFX Candle Color bulb works wonders. It's reminiscent of a lava lamp, plus the flicker offers the illusion of movement within the bulb's casing.
With its steady smart features and limitless color combinations, the LIFX Candle Color bulb lets you have as much fun as you possibly can with an object as humdrum as light bulb.
