Hue first impressions. The box arrived a few minutes ago and it felt heavier than I expected it to, but maybe, I thought, that was because of the included bridge. Upon opening the box I found three bulbs packaged beside each other. I removed the upper cardboard piece and below it was the fourth bulb along with the bridge, power supply, cords, and instructions. This was where I realized that the weight wasn't only the bridge: these bulbs are wonderfully heavy! I have a pack of four Fovaa bulbs and the whole pack doesn't weigh as much as a single Hue bulb. I haven't even put power to a Hue bulb yet and I already feel confident in what I have purchased. Next I opened the instruction booklet; and as professional as everything else in the box feels, I was disappointed with the instructions. They are basically a collection of stick drawings with no textual guidance whatsoever. I was not daunted, though, since there is so much help available online.
The Hue bulbs are more expensive than the bargain brands and I wondered why until I began researching them. Philips uses Zigbee radios in their bulbs and bridges which increases the cost significantly. And after holding one of the bulbs in my hand I could actually feel the difference in quality compared to the other bulbs that I own (Fovaa). Until I actually put these bulbs into service I can't comment on their function, but I expect to be very satisfied with them. My Fovaa bulbs work very well, although when set to blue or green they are not as bright as I think they should be. I am expecting much better brightness with the Hue bulbs. I have read that Wyze makes some really good bulbs in terms of color output that rival the Hue bulbs. Still, the Hue bulbs are constructed differently and are able to do some things that the others evidently cannot do. Once I have these lights going and I have a chance to put them through their paces I will report back with some updates. I'm anxious to try a simulated fireworks display and am hoping that four bulbs are enough to do it. Some of the scenes and animations require more than four bulbs to get the color mixtures right, but I think that a fireworks display could be done using white plus three other colors. At least a small fireworks display. I'll let you know when I have tried it.
Edit 2-12-2024
OK, I have the lights up and running and I can give you a little more insight now. First of all, if you look at the many photos of Hue lights you will know exactly what to expect in terms of color. These bulbs have colors that are full and rich yet are mellowed a bit as they are made to provide ambience to a space instead of producing stark coloring. You can get very deep blues, greens, and reds, and still have good brightness. A word that comes to mind is pastel, and yet the colors can be much deeper than pastel; in fact, the room color can become very red, very blue, very green, and yet still maintain some small bit of pastel quality. Again, I'd say look at a lot of the available pictures and you will know. In contrast to this, my Fovaa bulbs give very dark blues, reds, greens with no mellowing at all. There is no way to brighten the Fovaa bulbs when those colors are cranked to the maximum and maybe that is as it should be. Then again, I have read articles that claim Wyze bulbs have more intense colors than Fovaa bulbs (in fact they are ranked close to the top of all bulbs in that category) and also have more brightness; so it may be more a matter of design. If you want absolute, saturated, bright colors with no compromise you might want to try the Wyze bulbs; however, if you want lights that are tailor made for enhancing the atmosphere of your living spaces I can't imagine a better choice than Hue lights. I want to reiterate here just how good the bulbs feel in the hand, and after screwing them in and setting them up how good they look in action. Something else to touch on is that there are numerous apps available in addition to the official Hue app that can add to the functions your Hue lights can perform. The fireworks display I referred to above is in one of those apps: the app is called "hueDynamic" and the fireworks is under the Experiences heading. The fireworks display cycles your bulb colors mimicking real fireworks. The colors ramp on and off at speeds that seem realistic and your room is bathed in a frenzied display of light. Now that I have tried it I probably won't ever use it again, but hey, these lights can do that! Some other, more restful effects on the menu are flickering candles and a fireplace. If I actually had a fireplace I could see myself using that to enhance the natural flicker of flames. The candles...maybe I will use that one, maybe not. The animations can actually be rather distracting. The ambience settings are probably the most useful, but I should tell you that it is better to have the bulbs located next to walls so that the reflected light can add to the overall effect. I have mine temporarily in a ceiling fan in the middle of the living room and looking up at the light you can see all four bulbs with different colors and it doesn't look so good. Eventually they will be relocated to individual lamps around the room where they should provide a much better experience.
If you buy any bulbs other than Hue bulbs you will be tied to one single app: the official app from the manufacturer of the bulbs. Or you may be limited to tying in to Alexa and the set of skills available because your choice of bulbs doesn't even have an app. With Hue bulbs you have many choices of apps, and you will find that Hue apps, even the third party apps, have a level of professionalism not found in apps for other bulbs. Yes, Hue bulbs cost more...but you will get what you paid for. Top quality, great looking light, an almost endless list of ways to use them; Hue bulbs are probably the very best you can buy.
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This item: Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit - Includes (1) Bridge and (4) 75W A19 E26 LED Smart White and Color Ambiance Bulbs - Control with App - Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit
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Philips Hue A19 LED Color Smart Bulb Starter KiT
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Absolutely love these lights. Here's how to use them.
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How this HUE Starter Kit led to automating my entire home!
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After 1 year still our absolute favorite gadget in the house
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This Item  Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit - Includes (1) Bridge and (4) 75W A19 E26 LED Smart White and Color Ambiance Bulbs - Control with App - Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -20% $159.95 List: $199.99 | $199.99 | $137.00 | $59.95 | $179.99 | $159.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, Oct 19 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Oct 19 | — | Get it Oct 24 - 31 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Oct 19 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | TonCollectables | ableseller | PlusDigUSA | Wireless Cloud | A-Wheel | Amazon.com |
| bulb shape size | a19 | a19 | a19 | a19 | a19 | a19 |
| light source wattage | 75 watts | 9 watts | 10 watts | 10.5 watts | 10.5 watts | 9.5 watts |
| light type | LED | LED | LED | LED | LED | LED |
| light color | White and Color | Hue White | Hue White | White | Soft White | millions of colors, warm-to-cool white |
| color rendering index | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| voltage | 120 volts | — | 120 volts | — | 120 volts | 130 volts |
Great product
Awesome lightening and control through APP. Unfortunately Alexa doesn’t allow control of the lights.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2023
Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Base Lumen (60W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2020
Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Base Lumen (60W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2022
Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Mauricio Ontiveros
Phillips Hue Multicolor: ¡Luces que Hacen que mi Casa Brille... Literalmente!
Reviewed in Mexico on August 20, 2023Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Laura
Maravillosas luces, las amo.
Reviewed in Mexico on August 31, 2021Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Base Lumen (60W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Andrea RPM
Ok
Reviewed in Mexico on July 25, 2024Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Cliente de Amazon
Sorprendentes !
Reviewed in Mexico on June 5, 2021Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Base Lumen (60W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
Cliente de Amazon
Reviewed in Mexico on June 5, 2021
Sin embargo, vaya sorpresa me llevé al instalar estos focos ! La calidad es impresionante. No tienen el mayor brillo, pero es suficiente para una habitación con techo de 3.5 metros. Y los efectos que se pueden lograr son simplemente sorprendentes.
La aplicación es muy amigable y con la última actualización se cuenta con un gran número de efectos. Cada uno hara que se sumerjan en estados de ánimo, completamente diferentes. Desde concentración hasta un estado relajado con luces de colores.
Los focos se pueden usar directo por Bluetooth, pero el hub facilita mucho la inclusión de nuevos focos y también su integración con un dispositivo Alexa u otros del mismo tipo.
Sólo tengo elogios para estos focos y definitivamente estoy más que contento con mi compra.
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René J
Fácil de usar, buena inversión.
Reviewed in Mexico on May 26, 2024Color: White and Color Ambiance (16 Million Colors)Size: 4 Count (Pack of 1)Style: Medium Lumen (75W)Pattern Name: KitVerified Purchase
