Three new Philips Hue lights have been launched in the UK. Starting today, a new, smaller bulb size is available for purchase, along with updates to the Surimu and Aurelle panels in new shapes and sizes.
Additionally, new features will arrive via software updates later this year to the Philips Hue Bridge and Hue app that will increase personalization and lighting control.
Remember, to unlock the full functionality of the lights, you’ll need a Hue Bridge ($59.99/£49.99). The bridge will let you sync your lights, control them remotely, set up automations, and use voice control.
Light panels will not be available in the US, but software updates may. We have requested additional information but had not heard back at the time of this article’s publication.
Philips Hue E14 Chandelier bulb
The brand’s most compact bulb is now available in White Ambiance and White and Color Ambiance. If you have a mini light fixture or a tiny little lamp that you haven’t been able to add to your smart home setup yet, this could be your chance.
The White Ambiance bulb has a wide color temperature range, with 50,000 shades of natural white light, from warm to cool.
For more mood lighting options, the White and color Ambiance bulb offers millions of colors across the spectrum.
- White Ambiance Chandelier E14 bulb – £29.99 (Philips)
- E14 Chandelier White and Color Ambiance bulb – £54.99 (Philips)
Surimu White and Color Ambiance panel
The Surimu is also getting an update. The Surimu is a colorful panel that sits flush with the ceiling and emits a soft, diffused light more suitable for creating a club vibe than for illuminating the table while you’re immersed in a particularly difficult puzzle.
It’s currently available in a 60x60cm square and 120x30cm rectangular form (each £294.99 from Philips), but you can now get a half-size square panel, as well as a circular model.
Philips Hue
- Surimu White and Color Ambiance panel 30 x 30cm – £209.99 (Philips)
- Surimu White and Color Ambiance panel (round) 39.5cm diameter – £219.99 (Philips)
Philips Hue White Ambiance Aurelle panel
There are also additions to the Aurelle range. All four current models (see at Philips) have a white frame but if that doesn’t match your interior color scheme, there’s good news. Or, at least, it’s good news so black will be match. The four new Aurelle panels are framed in a “premium black finish”.
Philips Hue
Alas, if you’re hoping to light up your home like a John Wick fight scene, the Aurelle isn’t for you. This is a White Ambiance lamp only.
Aurelle white ambiance with black frame:
New brightness balancer and updated motion sensor
One of the problems with grouped lights is that it is difficult to dim bulbs of different brightness to the same level. But Philips Hue is rolling out a fix. Its brightness balancer will give you more precise control of the different lights that you have grouped together in your “Entertainment Space”.
If you’re listening to music, watching movies or gaming, you can individually dim the associated Hue lights to illuminate an area or dim the higher-light bulbs to a suitable intensity level for snacking on popcorn and watching movies .
The update will arrive via app in Q3 (July-September), but note that this only works for lights that you’ve specifically grouped in the app under the Entertainment area, which usually means light bars, strip lights, accent lights and more.
A Hue Bridge update that is expected at the same time will also greatly increase the flexibility of programming your motion sensor. Currently motion detectors have two time ranges – day and night – so you can set up a bright light to turn on when you open your front door during the day and a dim light at night. That might be a bit limiting if you want a different level of brightness at, say, 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.
But the number of time slots will increase to ten, so you can adapt your lighting to the time of day. This raises the interesting possibility of setting a sunny orange glow to accompany your early morning cornflakes or a bright red 10 a.m. light to alert you to your morning meeting.
The less adventurous can use the Natural Light scene to mimic sunlight as it changes throughout the day, which could be a godsend on gray winter days when there isn’t much real sunlight.
If this feature interests you, take a look at our review of the Dyson Solarcycle Morph, which has a natural light setting, and check out our roundup of the best light alarms we’ve tested, which will gently wake you up by slowly illuminating the light. of your room.
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