Philips has taken to the stage at IFA 2022 in Berlin to reveal some of the most fashion-focused smart bulbs on the market alongside a swathe of other new accessories to improve the lighting in your smart home set-up.
Dubbed the Philips Hue Lightguide bulbs, the new collection boasts a modern look unlike that of any other smart bulb on the market in 2022.
Available in ellipse, large globe and triangular form factors, the latest bulbs look to be as much a fashion statement and centrepiece in your room as they are a source of light. The inner tubes found within the bulbs are the primary source of light, though Philips claims the premium reflective glass helps them shine even brighter than the maximum 500 lumens on offer.
Like with most Philips Hue smart bulbs, you can customise the colour of the light via a mobile app, with options ranging from cool to warm white and a full RGB spectrum, and they are dimmable all the way down to 0.2% of their peak brightness.
To further enhance the fashion-focused design on offer, Philips has also revealed matching pendant light fittings that help hide the stem of the bulb for a cleaner look.
The Philips Hue Lightguide bulbs will be available in Q4 2022 in the UK and will range between £74.99 – £89.99 depending on the variant you go for, while the pendant cords will set you back £49.99. US pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed.
That’s not all that Philips announced at IFA though; the company also took the opportunity to reveal the Philips Hue White Ambience Filament Candle. While the company already produces a range of smart decorative filament bulbs, the latest in the collection provides the ability to shift the light from cool to warm in a small form factor, and it’ll be compatible with existing E12/E14 fittings.
Philips Hue
The new filament candle bulbs are set to be released on 13 September in the UK, at £39.99 for a single bulb or a two-pack for £59.99. As with the Lightguide bulbs, US pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed.
US Hue fans can also look forward to the Slim Down Light, a three-quarter-inch-thick slimline downward-firing light designed to be fitted into rooms with low ceilings. Don’t assume the thin form factor means a dim output though, with Philips claiming a maximum of 1200 lumens. Like other smart bulbs, it can change from warm to cool white as well as a range of other colours to help suit your mood.
Gamers haven’t been neglected either, with the reveal of the new Philips Hue Play Gradient Light Strip for PC.
Designed to be mounted on the rear of your monitor, the RGB strip is compatible with the Hue Sync desktop app and can mimic the colours on the screen for a more immersive experience, and it’ll play nice with existing Hue accessories too. It’ll be available in three options – for 24in to 27in monitors, for 32in to 34in monitors, and a special set for three-display setups – at release in the UK on 13 September.
The 24-27in strip will cost £169.99, going up to £189.99 for the 32-34in strip and £249.99 for the three-screen pack.
The company also announced a new partnership with Corsair that not only allows you to sync up Hue lights with Corsair peripherals, but also the ability to control your entire light setup via the company’s iCue app. Using Corsair’s integration, it can also perform unique tricks like syncing the lighting to the temperature of your CPU or flashing whenever a specific key is pressed.
Philips Hue
Existing Philips Hue users can also look forward to a few new features and functions coming to the Philips Hue app in the coming months.
The big new feature is the introduction of Mimic Presence, a new automation that’ll automatically turn your lights on and off throughout the day and evening based on how you use the lights, making it seem like somebody’s home and hopefully keeping it safe when you’re away. It’ll be available within the Automation tab in the Hue app, and it’s set to roll out later in September.
Philips Hue Play Sync Box owners will also be happy to know that the company is planning to merge the dedicated Hue Sync app with the main Philips Hue app, allowing you to control everything in a single app for the first time. The merger is currently scheduled for release sometime in Q4 2022.
Finally, Philips revealed a partnership with Samsung SmartThings that allows you to sync the Hue lights in your home to whatever music streaming services you have installed on your smartphone. The catch? It’s only compatible with Samsung smartphones, unlike the Spotify-specific integration available across all devices.
If you can’t wait for the new Philips Hue bulbs to be released, take a look at our selection of the best smart bulbs for your smart bulb inspiration.
Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.