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If I had to start over I would probably go LIFX. They are brighter and more vibrant to me. Also, you don't need a hub. I'm honestly tempted to sell the 10 hue bulbs I have and go LIFX down the road.
UGH! That's what I've heard too about the brightness. I'm all in with Hue now, but need more bulbs and it's looking like I'll be adding LIFX.
 
As someone who now owns both, I think there is a place for each brand. LIFX is brighter, but in most places, we don't like bright lights and previously had dimmers on pretty much all our switches or used 60w bulbs anyway (Philips). In the few fixtures where we occasionally want a brighter light, e.g., kitchen table light (4 bulbs) for cards, games, projects and hall lights, LIFX bulbs make more sense. Since we haven't completely switched out our old bulbs for smart bulbs, we can use both, but mostly we are using HUE.
 
from my readings a shortcoming is it saturates your wifi network. This wont mean much if you have a handful of devices, but if you add a fair bit more, it affects wifi performance.
 
As far as I can tell, ease of use is a wash. They are light bulbs and they act pretty much the same under HomeKit.

I'm not a fan of multiple bridges (AppleTV and HomePod are hubs), either, but it does take the brunt of the burden off your Wi-Fi network should you invest in multiple devices that use the bridge. And since only the bridge needs to be HomeKit compatible, any accessories connecting to it can become automatically compatible with HomeKit as long as firmware is smart enough. This can lead to less complexity (and possibly price) for the individual devices.
 
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Have to say, I've been disappointed with my Hue color bulb that I have in my living room, although I love my Hue lightstrip that is behind my TV stand. Really thinking about getting a Lifx bulb now that they're on sale.

Question: If I used a Lifx color bulb for my living room and keep the Hue lightstrip, would it be seamless when I tell Siri/HomeKit to set my living room to a specific color?
 
Just added two LIFX bulbs and they work great when adding them with my Hue bulbs. They provide a much brighter light - I know they are 1100 lumens vs. 800 lumen - but they seem to be richer in color as well. Eventually I may swap out all of the Hues with LIFX. One of the benefits for my adult children who have always get my hand me downs. I know they typically cost more but right now they were on sale for about the price of the Hues. It's almost addictive to find ways to use them, too.

They also integrated with Homekit well.
 
I've got nearly 50 Hue bulbs now in our home, still six more rooms to go. Lack of brightness I've never ever noticed, its a home not a paint body shop...Integrates well, quality product, good coverage...but most of all the quality of the light is superb. Nice roll off, good angles, absolutely love Hue.
 
I just bought my first LIFX and I absolutely love it. I checked out reviews and comparisons between the Hue, LIFX and LIFX minis. Ultimately, the LIFX were brighter and why I went with them. I personally prefer fewer devices as my outlets are very limited, so no hub is a big + in my book.
 
Which is:
A) Brighter
B) Easier to use

Any input is appreciated.

A: Lifx
B: Lifx. Although this can vary depending on circumstances.

Having both I prefer the Philips due to a broader product range. However I'm systematically removing most of my smart bulbs and replacing them with smart switches and dimmers. The smart bulbs are finding their way into unswitched lamps and places where I want particular colors.

Knowing what I know how I think the deciding factor for me would be how many I planned to have. If I was going to get 10+ bulbs I would go with the Philips due to it communicating through a their hub. With Lifx you'd have 10+ additional IP's on your network and it would look like my network with Leviton switches and dimmers.

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While its not a problem currently I have a feeling one day I'm in a real headache.
 
Lifx doesnt seem to be supported correctly with homekit. Can you change the colors in the app for different scenes? When I come home and have my lights come on its always what it was last left on before I left. Not what I have set for when I come home. Anybody else having this issue with lifx?Im only talking about the lifx led strips.
Ive had both the hue strips and lifx strips and the hue do get much dimmer and have more control I think color wise especially whites but they are too far apart. If you mount them close to a wall you will see the gaps in lighting which ruins the look for me. If you mount them in your kitchen dont mount them close to the all under the cabinets or you'll see the gaps.
I made led lights out of the lifx led strips if anyone would like to see. I tried with the hue and scrapped the idea a week after having them because of the huge gaps in space between the leds.
 
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