What Is The Brightest Hue Bulb

Phillips Hue brightest bulbs

Upon checking the market for lighting upgrades, I found there are several options I can choose. I researched and tried to find the best Hue bulb for my needs.

So, which Hue bulb is the brightest? In the white light category, Philips Hue White Ambiance Extension Bulb B22 is the brightest with an output of 806 lumens at 4,000K. In the colored Hue lights, the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Bulb A19/E27 has the highest output of 806 lumens at 4,000K. 

However, as light bulbs have different purposes, you need to see what other options you can have.

Hue Bulbs Are The Best Lighting Upgrade You Can Have

What Are Hue Bulbs

Philips Hue Bulbs or more commonly known as Hue bulbs are LED lights developed by Philips. In recent years, this smart lighting system has gained popularity over individuals who are looking to upgrade their lights.

You can control its brightness and color options remotely. The Hue Bulbs’ ease of use and customizability is one of its selling points.

How Do Hue Bulbs Work

Hue bulbs communicate to your wi-fi router through the Hue Bridge using Zigbee. Zigbee is like a language that Hue bulbs use to talk.

Hue Bulbs come with a Hue Bridge. You need to connect the Hue Bridge to your router using an ethernet cable. The Hue Bridge will then act as a translator to transmit commands from your smartphone to the Hue bulbs.

All of these communications between the devices happen in a split second. It is also important to note that the Hue Bridge connects to the cloud; you can easily control your lights from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

How To Use Hue Bulbs

To start, you need to install the Philips Hue app on your smartphone. Make sure your Hue Bridge is connected to your router, then pair your lights to the app.

You can then assign names to each light or group them according to a room. With the app, you can then turn on all your Hue lights with a tap on your phone. You can also use Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant to turn on or off the lights.

There also presets in the app where you can portray “scenes” using lights. One example would be a Northern Lights preset, which will assign shades of green and blue to your lights randomly.

Accessories Needed for Using Hue Bulbs

There aren’t many accessories needed to use Hue Bulbs. As mentioned, you need an internet router, ethernet cable, and a smartphone to control the light. You may also purchase Hue Tap and Hue Dimmer switches to complete the Hue bulb experience.

Use White, Clear Light To Exude Energy

yellow Edison bulb
Yellow Edison bulb have low lumen ratings

Hue White

This Hue bulb is the most commonly used in households. It has a warm white light at 2,700K with a power output of 800 lumens.

Hue White Ambiance

The Hue White Ambiance is similar to the Hue White but is a lot brighter. It can be adjusted to 50,000 different shades of white and has a brightness of up to 800 lumens for the A19/E27 fitting. The B22 fitting has a brighter output at 806 lumens at 4000K.

Hue Phoenix

Considered as the all-in-one of all the white Hue bulbs, the Hue Phoenix comes with the light and its corresponding fixture. You can use it for several purposes, depending on the installation and it has a brightness of 447 lumens at 4000K.

Colored Lights Are Best For Relaxed Situations

color lights set the mood
And….relax

Hue White and Color BR30

A Hue bulb with a larger size, the Hue White and Color BR30, is designed for recessed lighting in your house. Because of its size, you can also use it as a floodlight or other light that needs a larger bulb. It has a brightness of 650 lumens.

Hue White and Color Ambiance A19/E27

This Hue bulb looks similar to its white-only version but with a slightly higher output. It has an output of 806 lumens at 4,000K. Since it is a colored light, it can show up to 16 million different shades of different colors.

Hue Beyond Lamp

The Hue Beyond is similar to the Hue Phoenix and can use different fixtures. You can adjust it to show two different colors at the same time and has a brightness of 600 lumens

Although due to its flexibility and color customizability (two lights), it is a bit expensive.

Colored Hue Bulbs For Ambient Lighting

Hue Go

This Hue bulb is perfect for individuals on the go. It is battery-powered and is controllable by your phone. It has a lower output at 300 lumens but is enough for outdoor ambient lighting.

Hue Iris

The Hue Iris is mainly for casting lights onto a wall or the ceiling to create a beautiful ambiance. Since its design is to cast a dim light, it only has a power output of 200 lumens but is already enough for its intended purpose.

Hue Bloom

The Hue Bloom is just like the Hue Iris but is a more compact version. Because of its size, it can fit into smaller spaces for an additional pop of color. It has a power output of 120 lumens.

The Best Hue Bulb Is The One That Fits Your Need

led bulbs vs incandescent bulbs
led bulbs vs incandescent bulbs

With all these options you have, you might be wondering which one is the best for you. It most certainly depends on several aspects. Some of the considerations you need to make are the following:

The location of usage

Check the output of the light that you’re using and match to the size of the room you will be using it in and whether it will be used indoor or outdoor. Living rooms typically need brighter lighting using a cool white light.

Consider the purpose of why you want one.

Imagine the activity you’ll be doing in the location you’ll be placing your lights. If you’re installing lights in your study where you’ll read and write, you might want something bright and non-colored. However, if you’re installing lights for your gaming room, where RGB is appreciated, you might wish to have colored lights.

Take note of the price to performance ratio.

Another aspect to consider is the price of these lights. Do not overspend on items that are not necessary.

Conclusion

It is impressive that Philips Hue Lights has provided reliable options for lighting upgrades. Add to that the fact that it can be controlled from your phone and is fully customizable, and it surely is an excellent addition to your home. The brighter lights are always a good choice for bigger rooms. But use dimmer lights to accentuate and improve the aesthetics of the whole room. This way, you’ll be more efficient in using electricity and won’t be overspending on large lights, which will then be put in dimmer settings permanently when used.

References:

  1. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-complete-guide-to-philips-hue/
  2. https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/buyers-guides/140564-what-philips-hue-smart-bulbs-are-there-and-which-should-you-buy
  3. https://www.howtogeek.com/248178/the-difference-between-all-of-philips-hue-light-bulbs/
  4. https://www.tomsguide.com/us/philips-hue-bulb-types,review-4161.html
  5. https://integral-led.com/education/warm-white-or-cool-white

Steve Foster

Suburbanite, tech geek, handy man, automation enthusiast who started blogging about the stuff I do around my home and found he had a knack for it.

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