Philips Hue to introduce new bulbs in September

Posted:
in General Discussion
New and brighter Philips Hue bulbs are expected to launch by September with refinements to existing designs.

Brighter standard Philips Hue bulbs are coming in September
Brighter standard Philips Hue bulbs are coming in September


The Philips Hue lineup supports many different lighting form factors, and new lights are being added all the time. Philips Hue is compatible with Apple's HomeKit via a connected bridge and is often one of the first smart home devices purchased by customers.

According to hueblog, Philips will announce new bulbs in August or September. The new bulbs include brighter versions of the standard bulbs, filament bulbs, and a new E14 filament base for the European region.

The current standard bulb is rated for 806 lumens, but this will increase to 1,100 lumens, and 1,600 lumens depending on the wattage purchased. The new bulbs require more passive cooling, so the bulb frame will be larger.

The filament bulb lineup will soon have a white ambiance version. The maximum brightness will be 550 lumens.

For European customers, Philips is introducing a new small filament bulb with the E14 base. However, these bulbs will only be available with a fixed color temperature at launch.

The hueblog post also mentions "top secret" new products. These are said to include technology found in the gradient light strip that enables simultaneous output of multiple colors.

Keep up with everything Apple in the weekly AppleInsider Podcast -- and get a fast news update from AppleInsider Daily. Just say, "Hey, Siri," to your HomePod mini and ask for these podcasts, and our latest HomeKit Insider episode too.If you want an ad-free main AppleInsider Podcast experience, you can support the AppleInsider podcast by subscribing for $5 per month through Apple's Podcasts app, or via Patreon if you prefer any other podcast player.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    pichaelpichael Posts: 50member
    Bulbs should not get me this excited. 
    lollivermacguiStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 15
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,570member
    Every day I use over a dozen Hue bulbs in my home, and perhaps the frequencies they use are too crowded from my neighbours' own devices, (so your results may be better) but during the course of the day there are always random bulbs with "No Response." As I write this I have three Hue bulbs saying "No response." I've switched zigbee frequencies, with different results, but never get very good results. I'm done with Hue (I think the real problem is zigbee) due to many daily failures to work properly. I'll wait for bulbs that use Thread.

    By the way, despite what the manufacturer claims, the bulbs are all dimmer than incandescent bulbs, and it takes extra bulbs to get the same amount of light. So unless you have the vision of an owl, get the brightest bulbs you can get, since they are all supposed to be energy efficient anyway. And don't bother with colour bulbs, which cost way too much extra and are rarely useful.

    /opinion
    llamaJapheywatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 15
    prokipprokip Posts: 178member
    I always thought this Philips Hue stuff was a major wank.

    But hey, about a year ago I bought one of the lights for a "give it a try...mate".

    What a shocker.  I know have 40 various Hue lights around and in my house !!  Brilliant stuff just brilliant !

    The best ones are the 10 garden lights that go up my driveway.

    Hey, does anyone know how I can I make them turn on one after the other as I motor up the driveway?   Or even change colour as I drive up the drive way.?

    Like the internal space ship lights in one of those sci-fi movies.
    lolliverllamaseanjmacguiwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 4 of 15
    OferOfer Posts: 241unconfirmed, member
    Any word on whether the new bulbs will support the Thread protocol?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    adbeadbe Posts: 29member
    Ofer said:
    Any word on whether the new bulbs will support the Thread protocol?
    The bulbs never will.  The hub will, according to Signify, get Thread support at some undefined future time.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    omasouomasou Posts: 572member
    I bought a Phillips Hue starter pack w/the hub. I only use bulbs where they are not controlled by a switch, which for me limits them to two lamps and the 60W equivalent is too dim for where I want to use it.  Luckily the other day in HD I found they now make a 100W equivalent and it works great.

    I also bought the Phillips Hue light strip, a novelty really, and put it behind a cabinet under the TV. Kids like it so I kept it.

    I prefer the bulbs vs. a smart outlet for lamps that are not controlled by a switch. When the lamp is controlled by a switch I use the Lutron switches instead b/c I can use the switch and app. So for "me" the bulbs aren't very useful.
    edited July 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 813member
    pichael said:
    Bulbs should not get me this excited. 
    I agree. Been using the Hue system for about 3 years and have never had an issue. Enjoy there updates, customer support is great, the app has so much functionality…..the best.
    lolliverpichaelseanjwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    pscooter63pscooter63 Posts: 1,080member
    Having never gotten any up to now, I have some questions for current users.

    I presume these lumen ratings apply when every LED in the bulb is driven at 100% output? Thus any color variant will be some degree dimmer, depending on the hue you choose?

    So I’m thinking this new 100W equivalent will be closer to 75W in practice?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    adbeadbe Posts: 29member
    Having never gotten any up to now, I have some questions for current users.

    I presume these lumen ratings apply when every LED in the bulb is driven at 100% output? Thus any color variant will be some degree dimmer, depending on the hue you choose?

    So I’m thinking this new 100W equivalent will be closer to 75W in practice?
    Yup.  The math is pretty nasty though, because Hues don't just stack RGB LEDs to make white. They typically have at least four but sometimes five LEDs, being RGBW or RGB with warm and cold white.  Additionally they'll dial in red or blue to increase or decrease the color temp which means some tones of white are brighter than pure white.  Daylight white on my gen-3 strips for example is brighter than pure white.

    By and large for whites you'll get *in the ballpark* for lumens.  Start dialing out to fancy colors though and the brightness can drop off a cliff.  I don't think the RGB LEDs are anywhere near the lumens levels of the white LED(s).
    watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 10 of 15
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,357member
    I look forward to trying these new Hue bulbs. There aren't a lot of bulbs and lamps at my place, but I've been holding of on a couple of locations because remote (from other rooms, not internet) access isn't that pressing and the 100W equiv. CFLs are brighter than current Hue lamps.

    I have no idea of the actual Lm output by either the CFL or my Hue Color and White/Ambience lights but I'll try even 75W Hue lights.

    I've had very few issues over basic use of Hues and HomeKit, and no end of trouble with WeMo switches. Some bright Hues in those locations would be so much easier to deal with. My only issue with voice control of my Hue kit is Siri. If I use my phone, it's all good. If I use my Watch or HomePod Siri, no good will come of it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,876member
    For jimminy's sake, brighter. 1600 lumens is needed for white bulbs. I've been forced to buy off-brands that do this since Hue does not.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 15
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,876member
    Every day I use over a dozen Hue bulbs in my home, and perhaps the frequencies they use are too crowded from my neighbours' own devices, (so your results may be better) but during the course of the day there are always random bulbs with "No Response." As I write this I have three Hue bulbs saying "No response." I've switched zigbee frequencies, with different results, but never get very good results. I'm done with Hue (I think the real problem is zigbee) due to many daily failures to work properly. I'll wait for bulbs that use Thread.

    By the way, despite what the manufacturer claims, the bulbs are all dimmer than incandescent bulbs, and it takes extra bulbs to get the same amount of light. So unless you have the vision of an owl, get the brightest bulbs you can get, since they are all supposed to be energy efficient anyway. And don't bother with colour bulbs, which cost way too much extra and are rarely useful.

    /opinion
    Hmm. None of my Hue bulbs demonstrate that problem. And I love color bulbs, which we use for specific scenes on a regular basis.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 15
    All my Hue bulbs failed after a few years of daily operation. They start to make loud "crack" noises and then start strobing on and off for several seconds. They failed one after another with the same problem. Bottom line: They were not properly designed and don't have anything close to the promised lifespan. I won't buy expensive bulbs from Philips again. The ones with built in Bluetooth that don't need a hub are a lot more interesting.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,722member
    All my Hue bulbs failed after a few years of daily operation. They start to make loud "crack" noises and then start strobing on and off for several seconds. They failed one after another with the same problem. Bottom line: They were not properly designed and don't have anything close to the promised lifespan. I won't buy expensive bulbs from Philips again. The ones with built in Bluetooth that don't need a hub are a lot more interesting.
    Interesting. I am still on my first round of bulbs, meaning: I have none failing on me, and have purchased them since introduction of the bulbs and increased their amount over time. Maybe your bulbs were from a bad batch? Did you contact Signify/Philips over your experience? I had so far one product failing (not a bulb, but the power unit of the outdoor lightstrips) and I got a free replacement even though it was out of warranty.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 15
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Can't believe anyone wastes money on this nonsense.
Sign In or Register to comment.