New lights joined by brightness balancing and motion sensor automations
The Philips Hue smart lighting range grows ever bigger, with the Signify brand unveiling its smallest-ever smart bulb and a pair of new panel lights.
Those familiar with Hue’s bulbs will know that the tiny E14 Luster Bulb has been available in standard white for a while now, but this latest release means you can now add either the white ambiance or full-color versions.
Rarely a size favored by smart home manufacturers due to the popularity of larger screw-ins, you’ll typically find E14 fittings in the likes of bedside lights, small chandeliers, or multi-head floor lamps. And now they can provide color, as we say.
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The other new additions are the Hue Aurelle and Surimu ceiling lights.
Similar to the new range of smart lights recently unveiled by WiZ – Hue’s budget-friendly sibling – both ceiling fixtures are available in various shapes and sizes.
The Aurelle is distinguished by its black finish and availability in more shapes, with square, rectangular, and round options able to be selected, while the Surimu features a white frame, can deliver color light, and is offered in either a circular or square shape.
The new lights are all available from today, with the Luster white bulb beginning at £29.99 and ranging to £54.99 for the color variant. The Sirumu panel, meanwhile, arrives at £209.99 and jumps to £219.99 for the slightly bigger version, and Aurelle begins at £149.99.
New Hue app controls and automation
And there’s even something for those who aren’t interested in these new – and, admittedly, niche new arrivals – with Hue announcing a couple of updates coming soon.
The most notable is a brightness balancer feature, which essentially allows users to maintain an even level of light from their entertainment setup.
It will ensure that users no longer have to manually adjust the brightness of lights that feature different lumen levels. So, that light strip with 270 lumens will now better match up with your lamp with a 900-lumen bulb fitted.
Those with Hue motion sensors are also getting a nifty upgrade, with the number of user-selected time slots jumping from two to 10. This means you can set up virtually any lighting conditions based on the time of day.
These new features won’t arrive until later this year, however, so stay tuned for word on the official OTA update rollout.
