Philips adds new HomeKit-compatible Hue lights, puts more bulbs in Starter Kits

Posted:
in iPhone
Philips on Thursday announced an upcoming collection of Hue lights compatible with Apple's HomeKit, as well as three bigger Starter Kit bundles.




The main addition is the White Ambiance Cher Suspension, a 3,000-lumen fixture meant to sit over a kitchen area or dining table. The White Ambiance series lacks the full color-changing abilities of Philips's top-end bulbs, but does support a mix of warm and cool tones.

The White Ambiance downlight is intended for for recessed ceiling lights, and will be available in 4-inch and 5/6-inch versions, rated at 700 and 750 lumens respectively.

The downlight and the Cher Suspension fixture should both ship in October, at prices of $34.99 and $229.99. Also due that month is the $49.99 White and Color Ambiance candle bulb, which has an E12 base and provides dimmer 450-lumen output.




Coming sooner should be new White, White Ambiance, and White and Color Ambiance Starter Kits, all of which will have four A19 bulbs, plus the standard Hue bridge. The current White and Color kit comes with three bulbs, while the White Ambiance kit has two plus a dimmer switch -- the basic White kit drops the switch as well.




The White and Color Ambiance kit will remain at roughly $200, but the cost of the White Ambiance bundle is rising from $129.95 to $149.99, and the White kit is jumping from $69.95 to $99.99.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    Why is everyone missing the more exciting news for current owners? HomeKit comparability with the accessories like the motion sensor and tap. Also an official sync app for syncing colours with movies and games. 

    https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/31/philips-hue-entertainment-lights-movies-games-music/
  • Reply 2 of 8
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    They are ripe to be displaced by a much more reasonably priced competitive solution.
    peterhartbonoboblolliverOfer
  • Reply 3 of 8
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    thrang said:
    They are ripe to be displaced by a much more reasonably priced competitive solution.
    And yet, here they are, years later after everyone said that. Guess the free market has it right. 
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 4 of 8
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    I have no interest in Hue’s lamp fixtures which cannot match my own tastes and decor. What I want are brighter bulbs. It is odd to me that there aren’t any 1600 lumen smartbulbs yet. I’ve had 1600 lumen LED bulbs for years...

    Dimness aside, I really like my Hue gear. Tho I stopped using their app and use Apple’s Home app to control them and program scenes now. 
    bonobob
  • Reply 5 of 8
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    I have no interest in Hue’s lamp fixtures which cannot match my own tastes and decor. What I want are brighter bulbs. It is odd to me that there aren’t any 1600 lumen smartbulbs yet. I’ve had 1600 lumen LED bulbs for years...

    Dimness aside, I really like my Hue gear. Tho I stopped using their app and use Apple’s Home app to control them and program scenes now. 
    I'm really happy with my Hue gear. It was a little frustrating at first when the app would constantly show my lights as not being connected. I haven't had that issue since they released the newer app. 
  • Reply 6 of 8
    2oh12oh1 Posts: 503member
    If you like to code, you can do all sorts of great things with the Philips Hue API. For example, I use the function keys on my Mac to control my lights. I also paired my Hue up with a Flirc USB dongle. Flirc receives IR codes from remotes and translates them to user definable hotkeys... thus ...with Hue, Flirc, and a bit of code, you can set up a universal remote to control your lights in all kinds of ways. Granted, the Hue Dimmer Switch is actually a remote and it looks like it's pretty great, but it didn't exist back in 2013 when I created my setup.
    willcropoint
  • Reply 7 of 8
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    I'm still struggling to maximize the utility beyond anything but very basic functions. I'm still trying to get sensor activated lights to match the same color as a scene already set instead of reverting to white (warm) light.

    The impending arrival of HomeKit sensors explains why they've been on sale recently. I only bought one (for a grand total of two). I can use a couple more so I'll wait for the HK versions. I wonder if the older sensors can get a firmware upgrade like the bridges, or if HK compatibility is a hardware issue.

    I would like to see some 100W equivalent Hues, and would love to see some competition force their prices down. Somebody needs to do a Hue Lighting for Dummies book.

    Alexa will control my lights in a fairly capricious manner, occasionally bowing to my commands, but generally ignoring them. I'm hoping the HomePod will do much, much, much better.



  • Reply 8 of 8
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    thrang said:
    They are ripe to be displaced by a much more reasonably priced competitive solution.
    Yea, the price has kept me away from the Hue-series so far, but most of the 'plain' LED bulbs in our home are now Philips. We either hated the cheaper competition (light color, quality), or they've died.

    The Hue seems a bit of a novelty (a fun novelty though), but the White Ambiance would be really nice to have in some applications.
Sign In or Register to comment.