Philips Hue is synonymous with smart lighting. The brand has taken the space to new heights over the years and offers one of the most extensive product ranges. From smart light bulb starter kits to whole-home light strip extension kits, Philips Hue produces some of the best smart lights we've tested.
Not only are Philips Hue bulbs both responsive and feature-packed, but they can also function as some of the best Alexa compatible devices as well as the best Google Home compatible devices. One of their most useful features is how easy they are to add to your existing smart home setup.
Philips Hue is constantly adding more types of smart lights to its lineup and has expanded beyond the home into backyards and patios. While having more options to choose from can help you find the custom fit for your smart home, it can get a little overwhelming for first-time buyers. That’s why we’ve put together this Philips Hue lights guide to help. Below, we'll take you through the most popular options from the brand, as well as the latest releases while exploring the pros and cons of each.
Before you get started though, you will need a Philips Hue Bridge ($59, Amazon) if you plan to control all of the smart lights in your home through the company’s app. While newer Philips Hue lights only require Bluetooth, a bridge ensures both old and newer lights work well together without any problems.
Philips Hue lights: Starter kits
Philips Hue starter kits include both bulbs and the bridge that's required to connect the lights to your home Wi-Fi network. If you don't have any Philips Hue lights yet, a starter kit is probably the best way to begin. After testing hundreds of smart home products, we believe that the Philips Hue Starter Kits are among the best smart home devices.
The original Philips Hue Starter Pack (White and Color Ambiance) is designed to replace traditional A19 bulbs and can change to more than 16 million colors. The starter pack includes three lights plus a Hue bridge. Philips also sells a version of this kit with four lights.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Kit
The White Ambiance kit lets you adjust the color temperature of the bulbs, so you can go from intense blue-white to a soft yellow-white. There's also a newer version of the White Ambiance kit that includes two bulbs, a Hue bridge and a smart switch to control them.
Philips Hue Smart Bridge
If you don't buy a starter kit, which includes the smart bridge, you'll need to purchase one separately. It plugs into your Wi-Fi router and connects with the Hue lights in your home.
MORE: How to Connect Philips Hue Lights to Amazon Echo
Philips Hue light bulbs and light strips
You can expand your lighting options through a number of different Philips Hue bulbs. These include everything from plain white bulbs to multicolored light strips and other bulbs that fit smaller sockets.
In a recent announcement, all Philips Hue smart bulbs which are available in White, White ambiance, and White and colour ambiance, will now also be available in 1100 and 1600 lumen options.
Philips Hue White A21, 1600 Lumens
This is one of Phillips Hue's newest and brightest bulbs. It works without a hub, meaning you can control it via Bluetooth in your home.
Philips Hue White Ambiance A19
This single Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb requires a hub, but it once it's connected you can control its brightness.
Philips Hue Filament Bulb
These dimmable Edison-style bulbs have recently become available in White ambience, which means they can produce any tone of white, from cool to warm. They can self-adjust throughout the day and look great when switched off too.
Philips Hue Ambiance BR30 Floodlight
These LED bulbs, which can produce thousands of shades of white — from warm to cool — and color, and are designed for recessed ceiling fixtures.
Philips Hue E12 Candle
The Philips Hue E12 Candle is a smaller bulb, designed for chandeliers and light fixtures where a full-size A19 bulb won't fit. Each candle light bulb is a 40W equivalent. It comes in a White Ambiance and Color Ambiance, too.
Philips Hue Ambiance Gradient Light Strip
This 6-foot color LED strip has an adhesive backing, which lets you affix it underneath kitchen counters or shelving — or anywhere you’d like — to provide some nice accent lighting.
Philips Hue entertainment lights
Another category of Philips Hue lights is entertainment enhancers, like the play light below. The Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is the next evolution the light bar. It syncs your smart lights to your on-screen TV content, including games and movies.
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
Surround sound makes watching movies and video games in your home a more immersive experience, but what about surround lighting? The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box sits between your TV and your cable box and gaming console, and analyzes the content going to your TV. The Play Sync Box cues your Hue lights, changing their color to match what's playing on screen. Philips has now also released a Hue Sync TV app that does the same thing without the need for an extra box in your entertainment center. However, it's almost just as expensive at $129 and is only compatible with Samsung's 2022 or newer QLED tvs.
Philips Hue Play Light Bar
The Philips Hue Play light bar is a 9-inch color-changing light bar that can sit horizontally or vertically next to your TV or computer monitor, or be mounted as a backlight.
Philips Hue standalone lamps
Standalone lights can be placed anywhere in your room, and are generally used to help create accent lighting, rather than as a primary light source. None of these come with a bridge, so you'll need that to sync, too.
Philips Hue Bloom
This accent light measures about 5 inches in diameter, and can change to millions of colors. It’s best used to bounce light off a wall behind fixtures like a TV or plant to help set the mood.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellness
Inside this lamp is a single Philips Hue white ambiance bulbs, which can be changed from cool white to warm white. You can also replace the bulb with a color bulb if you like.
Philips Hue Go Light
The Hue Go is a splendid accent-lighting piece, and glows from both its circular 4.7-inch base and its flat top. The 300-lumen Go has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 3 hours while unplugged. The newer Hue Go portable table lamp is available in either black or white and has a brightness of 370 lumens. It costs $159 and can be recharged using the included charger base.
Philips Hue Twilight sleep and wake-up light
Philips has also now released a Twilight table lamp that uses science-backed scenes for mood-boosting lighting. You can use it to create custom wake-up and sleep automations or simply recharge your room during the day.
Philips Hue light fixtures
While limited to a few options, Philips light fixtures have the bulbs built directly into them. That means that when the LEDs burn out—which should be at least 10 years, if not more—you'll have to replace the entire fixture. These also require a bridge (sold separately) to control them via Philips' app.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Fair
This ceiling light can either be flush-mounted, or purchased with a small or large extension to drop it down a few inches. It has a brushed aluminum finish, and the LEDs can be tuned to a cool or warm white light.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Being
The Being is similar to the Fair, but has a clear panel running around its midsection. It also can only be flush-mounted with the ceiling.
Philips Hue outdoor lights
Philips has several large, weather-resistant outdoor lights for illuminating your garden, lawn, patio, and driveway.
Philips Hue Single PAR38 Outdoor
These aren't just for Philips Hue products; you can screw them into any outdoor fixture that fits a PAR38 bulb and make it a "smart light." You' can control and schedule the bulb remotely.
Philips Hue Calla Outdoor Pathway
Place this LED-integrated bollard along your driveway or front walk to light your guests' way. The base pack includes one bollard and a power supply, and extension kits are $129.
Philips Hue Inara White Outdoor Lantern
The Philips Hue Inara is a traditional wall lantern for lighting your porch or the area outside your door. It uses a white bulb, meaning you can't change its color, but you can control it remotely.
Philips Hue Lucca Outdoor Wall Lantern
The Lucca wall lantern is very similar to the Inara, but it has a smaller, more modern design, and is $10 more expensive.
Philips Hue Ludere Outdoor Security Light
This floodlight contains two bulbs and is perfect for lighting your driveway or the area outside your garage. Like the Lucca and Inara, it doesn't change color, but it does deliver 1,350 lumens.
Philips Hue Lightstrip Outdoor
This outdoor lightstrip is available in either 80 or 197 inches and delivers 1,650 lumens. It also has an IP67 rating to help it withstand weather conditions throughout the year.
Philips Hue smart lights accessories
Philips also sells accessories which allow you to control your Hue lights without using the app.
The Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote is one such accessory and is one of the best smart light switches for Philips Hue owners. Having said that, if you want routines and timers, everything will still need connecting through the Philips Hue Bridge.
Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote
This product looks like a typical wall switch, but it connects directly to the Hue lights, meaning you don’t need to rewire. The switch can even be removed so it doubles up as a remote.
Philips Hue Smart Tap Switch
This device can be preprogrammed to remember three different light settings. You can then activate each at the touch of a button, which is great for movie nights or entertaining guests.
Philips Hue Smart Motion Sensor
This turns the lights on in a room when it senses movement. It detects varying levels of sensitivity, keeps lights on for a period after a person exits, and alters brightness based on the time of day.
Philips Hue Dusk-to-Dawn Outdoor Motion Sensor
The Philips Hue Dusk-to-Dawn Outdoor Motion Sensor is a wireless, battery-operated motion sensor light. It also keeps track of the light outside, and makes sure your inside lights don't switch on until nighttime.
Philips Hue Sync app
Finally, Philips has an app, Philips Hue Sync, which allows users to synchronize their smart bulbs with multimedia content on their Mac or Windows PC. For example, you can set your lights to flash and change color in time with music, video, and movies being played on your computer. Hue Sync, which runs on your notebook or desktop, connects with the Hue app on your smartphone. Users can also modify the color schemes, brightness, and themes to suit their tastes.
