Philips Hue Reveals New Candle Light Bulb Coming to Europe in April and U.S. Later This Year

[MacRumors]

Philips today announced that its connected smart bulb lighting system, Philips Hue, is getting a new addition in the form of the E14 candle light bulb. Customers will be able to buy the new bulb in both color and white ambience versions in the U.S. later this year, and in Europe in April. The common candle bulb will fit a wide array of household lighting fixtures, and Philips said this means that Hue "can now be used in over 80% of light sockets commonly used in households around the world."

"The candle has been one of the most requested products by Philips Hue customers. We've spent time ensuring it is of the highest quality and available in both white ambiance and white and color ambiance. It is an important next step to ensure seamless integration in all rooms, giving you the freedom to personalize lighting throughout your home," says Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Business Leader Connected Home Systems at Philips Lighting.

Otherwise, the candle light bulb will function the same as previous Hue products, connecting to the company's smartphone app through the Philips Hue Bridge accessory and allowing users to customize lighting colors, set schedules and geo-fences, and turn the lights on and off. According to Philips, candle light bulbs are mainly used in decorative lamps made for the bedroom, and with the white ambience bulb's dimming features users can get a better night's sleep and wake up more energized.

The new accessory is a 40W equivalent bulb with 470 lumens of brightness and will be priced around $40 for a single bulb when it launches in the U.S. later in 2017. Philips didn't mention if it would debut a Hue Starter Kit with the new candle light bulbs, but if it does the package would likely cost the same as current starter kits, which currently run between $70 and $200, depending on the type and amount of bulbs included.

Article Link: Philips Hue Reveals New Candle Light Bulb Coming to Europe in April and U.S. Later This Year

 

[Born Again]

love my hue lights with ALEXA

Home kit - lol

"oh but it's so secure!"

 

[MadDane]

Yes! I mainly have E27 bulbs at home (all Hue) but I have a few E14. So I have been looking forward to this

 

[usarioclave]

Time to Hue-enable the chandeliers...and now my outdoor lights will match my porch lights. Life is great!

 

[schwarzbier]

Time to Hue-enable the chandeliers...and now my outdoor lights will match my porch lights. Life is great!

I love the idea of hue enabling my chandelier too, but it has 5 bulbs. At $40 a piece, that's one expensive light fixture. I could replace the wall switch for a fraction of the cost. I like hue, but this is super expensive.

 

[cube]

Finally! This format always trails.

 

[davidoloan]

This is great except for one thing, the price. Chandeliers have so many bulbs. To do one room will cost me $360.

Still, Hue lighting has been one of my favourite tech discoveries, bought on a whim, has turned out to be brilliant.

 

[44267547]

This is great except for one thing, the price. Chandeliers have so many bulbs. To do one room will cost me $360.

Still, Hue lighting has been one of my favourite tech discoveries, bought on a whim, has turned out to be brilliant.

Hue lighting is so versatile with customization. It's pricey, but I have been impressed with the longevity of their products. The candle bulb certainly has its appeal, but I feel like it would be out of place in my house. I like the concept of the warmer tone.

 

[coolfactor]

Is it really a 40W bulb, or simply equivalent to 40W? Most LED bulbs use around 10W depending on their brightness, but maybe these "smart" bulbs require more energy to function? I suspect not because even Philips regular bulb runs only 9.5W.
[doublepost=1489766456][/doublepost]And that price... Philips, good luck selling these. Normal incandescent candle light bulbs run less than $1.00, so how many years of energy savings is it going to take to make back an investment of $39?
[doublepost=1489766515][/doublepost]

love my hue lights with ALEXA

Home kit - lol

"oh but it's so secure!"

Care to share your thoughts about HomeKit in greater detail?

 

[Sandstorm]

E14, finally!

Is it really a 40W bulb, or simply equivalent to 40W? Most LED bulbs use around 10W depending on their brightness, but maybe these "smart" bulbs require more energy to function? I suspect not because even Philips regular bulb runs only 9.5W.

Yeah, probably 40W equivalent. The Hue E14 bulb will be 6,5W / 470 lumens.

 

[RMo]

Is it really a 40W bulb, or simply equivalent to 40W?

Like many people, MacRumors misquoted the press release, which states that the bulb is a "40W equivalent" (emphasis mine). This is how people compare CFLs, LEDs, and other energy-efficient bulbs to the light output of incandescents people are used to since most people aren't used to comparing lumens, which is the actual measure of light output rather than energy used to produce it (explaining for others, not for you since you obviously know). MR did include the correct 470-lumen output in their summary, though it's worth noting (as Philips also did but MR and most others leave out) that, as with most Hue products, this is the maximum output and only achieved around 4000K (a sort of medium cool white).

Philip's existing 40W equivalent candelabra LEDs range from about 4.0-5.5W, so I suspect this one will be at or just a little bit higher than this. 9to5Mac says 6.5W, though I can't find that in the press release.

That being said, this is a form factor that I suspect many people have been missing. I was, too, until I moved and don't have any of these bulbs anymore.

 

[davidoloan]

Is it really a 40W bulb, or simply equivalent to 40W? Most LED bulbs use around 10W depending on their brightness, but maybe these "smart" bulbs require more energy to function? I suspect not because even Philips regular bulb runs only 9.5W.
[doublepost=1489766456][/doublepost]And that price... Philips, good luck selling these. Normal incandescent candle light bulbs run less than $1.00, so how many years of energy savings is it going to take to make back an investment of $39?

The current 9.5W bulbs are often referred to as 60W.

You're wrong on the price. People are already paying for the current range, and to put a candle bulb in a bedside lamp is not so different. The only price issue is fittings that take many bulbs.

We are not paying for the energy savings. It's the control and features. E.g I can now read my phone in bed which used to make me wide awake and unable to sleep, then set the lights to a warm light and have them dim to off over 30 mins. This makes me fall asleep every time. It really works.

I can set them to gradually turn on over 30 mins and my alarm now longer jolts me awake. Again it really works.

There are many other ways you can use them. That's what you are paying for.

And I assume they will become cheaper over time.

 

[Born Again]

Is it really a 40W bulb, or simply equivalent to 40W? Most LED bulbs use around 10W depending on their brightness, but maybe these "smart" bulbs require more energy to function? I suspect not because even Philips regular bulb runs only 9.5W.
[doublepost=1489766456][/doublepost]And that price... Philips, good luck selling these. Normal incandescent candle light bulbs run less than $1.00, so how many years of energy savings is it going to take to make back an investment of $39?
[doublepost=1489766515][/doublepost]

Care to share your thoughts about HomeKit in greater detail?

if you have to pick up your iphone to use homekit "you blew it" as the great steve jobs once said.

it's just easier to use your voice at home.

 

[cube]

Price is not an issue only when you need many bulbs. I only bought a bundle because it was in a rare sale but still too expensive.

Not that you cannot pay for it, just that they are not normal prices for this kind of stuff.

If you want something more reasonable, there's their 3-mode bulb.

The problem I have now is with the iP rating of their Lightstrips.

 

[davidoloan]

If you want something more reasonable, there's their 3-mode bulb.

Yes, I bought those to do a long hallway and they are brilliant for that purpose and cheaper at £14.95 each.

They only have bright, dimmed, and nightlight, but that's perfect.

On nightlight, no light filters under bedroom doors anymore, and they don't blind you in the night.

 

[Jeaz]

love my hue lights with ALEXA

Home kit - lol

"oh but it's so secure!"

I'm curious, what's different. Not that I can use Alexa anyways since it doesn't support my language but HomeKit is working pretty flawlessly for me.

 

[craigmak]

if you have to pick up your iphone to use homekit "you blew it" as the great steve jobs once said.

it's just easier to use your voice at home.

"Hey Siri, turn on my living room" using your voice works just fine with HomeKit. Don't even need to be in the house for it to work.

 

[cube]

Yes, I bought those to do a long hallway and they are brilliant for that purpose and cheaper at £14.95 each.

They only have bright, dimmed, and nightlight, but that's perfect.

On nightlight, no light filters under bedroom doors anymore, and they don't blind you in the night.

I thought they were interesting for the different colour temperatures, but you make them sound useless if you normally hate cool lighting.

 

[Applebot1]

Great news I currently use adapters but this will defo be a more elegant solution and wife friendly.

 

[cube]

"Hey Siri, turn on my living room" using your voice works just fine with HomeKit. Don't even need to be in the house for it to work.

I don't do cloud voice recognition. I think their wireless dimmer switch is a great product at a good price, only if it controlled color too.

 

[davidoloan]

I thought they were interesting for the different colour temperatures, but you make them sound useless if you normally hate cool lighting.

I don't follow you, I use the fully featured bulbs in rooms, just not hallways or outside above the front door etc. The basic ones work great there.

 

[cube]

I don't follow you, I use the fully featured bulbs in rooms, just not hallways or outside above the front door etc. The basic ones work great there.

I don't want cool lighting in pathways.

 

[Tinmania]

I know that Philips wants to sell bulbs, and that is okay. I use HUE and have a LOT of lights under control with it. But for the love of god I wish they would release a HUE switch. My bathroom, and several other places in my home, have 8 or so bulbs that really only need to be on or off. Why should I need to add 8 HUE bulbs, and go through the effort of programming them all, when one single switch would be fine. My garage has fluorescents, so it is completely out of HUE's capabilities. Switches please!



Mike

 

[davidoloan]

I know that Philips wants to sell bulbs, and that is okay. I use HUE and have a LOT of lights under control with it. But for the love of god I wish they would release a HUE switch. My bathroom, and several other places in my home, have 8 or so bulbs that really only need to be on or off. Why should I need to add 8 HUE bulbs, and go through the effort of programming them all, when one single switch would be fine. My garage has fluorescents, so it is completely out of HUE's capabilities. Switches please!



Mike

They make two switches. They don't replace the existing switch though. http://www2.meethue.com/en-us/productdetail/philips-hue-dimmer-switch

 

[ignatius345]

My big beef with these Hue lights (and a lot of newer LED bulbs) is that they go with these really weak "60W equivalent" brightnesses (usually ~800 lumens) -- that's pretty dim.

We use two Philips non-smart LEDs at 1600 lumens each in our living room lamp. It's nice, bright light, and it's dimmable so you can always scale it back at night.