10:30 15 March 2017
Philips has launched its Hue White Ambiance Starter Kit – a reasonably priced bulb that offers a full array of natural, white-light tones that shift colour temperatures within that white-light spectrum. Each bulb cost £24.99 while the two-bulb starter kit is available for £59.95. The kit includes a handy wireless remote and second generation Hue Bridge allowing users to control the bulbs with Apple HomeKit support as well as other third parties including IFTTT, Nest, SmartThings, Wink and Amazon’s Alexa.
The Hue White Ambiance LEDS do not not offer many new features and are essentially the same as the soft-white-only Philips Hue Lux bulbs that were officially discontinued last year. However, there’s a new and improved Philips Hue App that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. It is optimised around Hue’s integration with HomeKit and with just a few taps, you can change the color temperature of the Hue bulbs. The lighting changes can also be automated if you don’t want to rely too much on the app. Hue’s timed routines anticipate your needs and make adjustments accordingly.
The Hue White Ambiance LEDS are user-friendly and compatible with many third party platforms.