How much is Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit? Philips set the bar high for smart lightingwith its original Hue Connected Bulb. Now in its third generation, the White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit ($199.95) raises it even higher, thanks to Apple Homekit compatibility, enhanced brightness and color consistency, and a retooled app experience. It still costs a pretty penny, but you get better bang for your buck as Philips has improved the longevity of each bulb. With class-leading features and a robust third-party ecosystem, the White and Color Ambiance package is a great way to get started with smart lighting. Get details on Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit review.
Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit technical details
| Brand | Philips Hue |
| Item Weight | 499 g |
| Product Dimensions | 10.2 x 21 x 21 cm |
| Item model number | 929000261796 |
| Part Number | 8718699630218 |
| Area Lighting Classification | IP20 |
| Number of Items | 3 |
| Style | GU10 Spot |
| Colour | White and Colour |
| Shape | Reflector |
| Material | Glass |
| Number of Lights | 3 |
| Included Components | 3 x 6.5 W GU10 spot light bulbs; 1 x Hue bridge 2.0; 1 x Power adapter [Apple home kit enabled] |
| Voltage | 220 volts |
| Specific Uses | Indoor |
| Fixture Features | Dimmable, Colour Changing, Wi-fi enabled |
| Power and Plug Description: | Electricity, male/female plug |
| Switch Installation Type | Table, Wall |
| Batteries included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Type of Bulb | LED |
| Cap Type | GU10 |
| EU Energy Efficiency Label | A |
| Luminous Flux | 250 lumen |
| Wattage | 6.5 watts |
| Wattage | 6.5 watts |
| Colour Rendering Index (CRI) | 80 |
| Lamp Power Factor | 0.6 |
Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit review
New technology and Improved versions
The latest Hue bulbs aren’t so much about innovation as refinement. Design-wise, there isn’t anything different from the original Hue lights—they’re still the same shape and size. Aside from the words “Hue White and Color” at the base of the bulb, you’d be hard pressed to tell these apart from first-gen models.
Included Hue Bridge
So what’s different? For starters, the included Hue Bridge features an upgraded processor with more than 500 times the memory and is now square. This lets it run multiple applications like the Hue system and Apple HomeKit at the same time, whereas the original (round) bridge was really only designed with the lights in mind.
Increased lumen
The bulbs themselves are also brighter. Philips has increased lumen output from 600 to 800 lumens, which is equivalent to a jump from 40W to about 60W. Each bulb is also estimated to last 25,000 hours or 22 years, up from the 15-year estimate for the original. And in terms of color, the new bulbs have a richer gamut, with special attention paid to the blues and greens.
I plugged two bulbs into my living room and one in my bedside lamp for testing. At night, I was pleased that I didn’t have to strain my eyes to read a book or write in a journal thanks to the adjustable brightness levels. As for colors, the range is truly impressive. You can choose anything from light pastels to intensely vivid (bordering on garish) hues. True to Philips’ claims, the blues and greens are both rich and bright. I tried out the preset Artic Aurora Scene, which is full of shades like mint, teal, sea foam, and sky blue. Even with a red accent wall, my living room was thoroughly transformed into what felt like an undersea paradise. Likewise, the bulbs were able to produce a darker, murkier shade of green that mimicked deep space (or at least what I imagine deep space to look like) quite well.
Accessories are less expensive
Cost-wise, individual bulbs are now slightly less expensive at $50 apiece, instead of $60. That’s still asking a lot if you’re looking to outfit your entire home, or even an apartment. Thankfully, Philips now offers a more diverse lighting portfolio so you don’t have to empty your entire bank account. The Hue White Ambiance bulbs, which offer the full spectrum of white light, are $30 per bulb, or $129.99 for a starter kit. Alternatively, if you don’t care about having multiple shades of white and just want the bare basics, you can get the Hue White bulbs at a relatively affordable $14.99 per bulb, or $69.99 for a starter kit.
How easy to setup Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit?
The setup process is simple. First, you screw in your bulbs into the fixtures you want and switch them on. Then you connect the bridge to your router via Ethernet, download the Philips Hue app to your Android or iOS device, and follow the on-screen instructions to identify the individual bulbs and group them into rooms. Because the Hue bulbs connect to the bridge via Wi-Fi, you can control them even when you’re not at home—something you can’t do with Bluetooth-only bulbs like the TikTeck Smart LED.
Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit performance review
The ability to personalize not only the color and intensity, but also to recreate lighting scenes from your photos, was a major draw for the original Hue bulbs. The only caveat was that the original Philips Hue app wasn’t the most intuitive to use.
Hue app for smart integration
So it’s a good thing Philips has created a new Hue app that addresses many of the problems we had with the original. First off is a more streamlined design. You no longer have to rotate your smartphone to access the full color gradient for individual bulbs. The layout has also been tweaked so there’s a bit less sifting through menus to access the features you want. For instance, you can now find the gradient for colors, whites (cool or warm), and preset lighting recipes all on the same page.
Grouping lights by room is also more intuitive. Previously, you had to drag individual bulbs together to create a room. But they’d still be listed individually under the Lights tab, which is confusing when you have a lot of bulbs. The new app does away with that approach. Instead of focusing on bulbs, it centers on rooms. Once you’ve created groups, you can easily adjust brightness and color for an entire room from the main menu. You can still customize each bulb individually—you just have to tap on the room name.
How to control Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit?
The Scenes feature is easier to use as well. You can find the Scenes tab once you tap on the name of an individual room. There are a number of presets and lighting recipes, including the aforementioned Arctic Aurora, Energize, Read, Relax, and Spring Blossom, among others. Scenes like Spring Blossom are based on actual pictures, while Energize and Read are optimized white lighting for specific moods or tasks. Energize is a cooler, blue-tone white light, while Relax utilizes a warmer, yellow tone.
To select a Scene, tap on the bubble with the Scene photo and your lights will automatically match that color scheme. If you want to edit it, hit the pencil icon. That will take you to a larger version of the same image, where you can select a specific area you want to recreate. The app will then assign the colors to each bulb, and you can adjust brightness using the slider at the bottom of the screen. You can easily upload your own photos as well. For example, I uploaded a photo of my vacation to Cozumel, Mexico, and the app automatically adjusted my living room lights to soft shades of teal and sand to recreate the lighting on the beach.
Even with these improvements, the Hue app isn’t perfect. Setting Routines is a little more roundabout than it needs to be. There are presets for waking up, going to bed, and you can enable location services so that lights turn on and off based on where you are. These are simple enough, but it’s less intuitive to create a custom schedule. Setting a start time, brightness, color, and days of the week is straightforward, but it’s frustrating that you can only program an on or off time in a single routine, so you essentially need to create the same Routine twice (once to turn lights on, and once to turn them off).
Lastly, the Settings menu is where you can add extra lights, accessories, and even widgets for the Apple Watch. The latter are basically shortcuts on the watch to your favorite settings, so you don’t have to pull out your phone. I was surprised by how much fun I had with these—especially since I could quickly change the living room lights to my favorite color whenever I won a dispute with my roommate. (Immature, yes, but an entertaining use of technology.)
Can Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit integrate with other smart devices?
Philips also has a big leg up on the competition with 400 unique third-party apps in its Hue ecosystem. Some are fairly practical, but most center around syncing your lights to music, movies, or television shows. Others, like Lightbow, offer you more options for presets and color palettes. None of these are necessary, but they enable you to do more than the official app alone.
Keep in mind that many of these third-party apps cost a few extra dollars. I tried the free SyFy Sync app, which uses your phone’s microphone while you’re watching certain SyFy shows to match your lights to what’s happening on screen. Initially I was skeptical, but it worked pretty well for season one of The Expanse—even if I ended up focusing more on how well the lighting fit each scene than the actual plot.
What is the Philips Hue product line-up?
The original Philips Hue Starter Pack is designed to replace traditional A19 bulbs and can change to more than 16 million colors. The starter pack includes three lights plus a Hue bridge. Philips also sells a version of this kit with four lights.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Kit: $149.99 @ Amazon : The White Ambiance kit lets you adjust the color temperature of the bulbs, so you can go from intense blue-white when you need to concentrate, to a soft yellow-white for something mellower.
Philips Hue Smart Bridge: $59.99 @ Best Buy
If you don’t purchase a starter kit which includes the smart bridge, you’ll need to purchase one separately. It plugs into your Wi-Fi router, and then connects with all of the Hue lights in your house.
Philips Hue bulbs and lightstrips
You can expand your lighting options through a number of different Philips Hue bulbs. These include everything from plain white bulbs to multicolored lightstrips and other bulbs that fit smaller sockets.
Philips Hue White Ambiance A19: $29.99 @ Amazon : This single Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb requires a hub, but it once it’s connected you can control its brightness.
Philips Hue Ambiance BR30 Floodlight: $47.99 @ Best Buy : These LED bulbs, which can produce thousands of shades of white–from warm to cool– and color, and are designed for recessed ceiling fixtures.
Philips Hue White Ambiance GU10: $24.99 @ Best Buy : Designed for track and small recessed lighting fixtures, these GU10 bulbs can reproduce thousands of shades of white. It provides soft white illumination that mimics the look of natural light.
Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus: $79.99 @ Best Buy : This 6-foot color LED strip has an adhesive backing, which lets you affix it underneath kitchen counters or shelving — or anywhere you’d like — to provide some nice accent lighting.
Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus Extension: $29.99 @ Amazon
If you need even more accent lighting, this 40-inch extension for the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus costs $30. You’ll need the original Lightstrip for the extension to operate.
Philips Hue White Ambiance E12 Candle: $25 @ Amazon : The White Ambiance E12 Candle is a smaller bulb, designed for chandeliers and light fixtures where a full-size A19 bulb won’t fit. Each candle light bulb is a 40W equivalent.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance E12: $49.99 @ Best Buy : This is the same bulb type as the White Ambiance, but lets you change its colors.
Philips Hue bluetooth lights – no bridge required
Philips Hue is constantly adding to its collection of smart LED bulbs that work without a Philips bridge. You can activate them via Bluetooth and pair them to your voice assistant the same way you would the hub-based bulbs. But you won’t get all the features that you do with the bridge, like scenes and timers.
Hue White And Color Ambience E26: $49.99 @ Amazon
The White and Color Ambience E26 can act as a white or colored light, and is one of Philips Hue’s first products that can operate without a Philips Hue Bridge or other smart-home hub.
Philips Hue White E26: $14.99 @ Amazon
The White E26 is a soft white light that can operate without a bridge, and delivers 800 lumens. There is also a White Ambiance version available for $25.
Philips Hue White E26: $24.99 @ Amazon
The White Ambience E26 is the same light as the White E26, but you can change the warmth of the light it delivers.
Philips Hue entertainment lights
Another category of Philips Hue lights is entertainment enhancers, like the play light below. The Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is the next evolution the light bar. It syncs your smart lights to your on-screen TV content, including games and movies. The Sync Box is available on October 16, 2019.
Philips Hue Play Light Bar: $69.99 @ Best BuyThe Philips Hue Play light bar is a 9-inch color-changing light bar that can sit horizontally or vertically next to your TV or computer monitor, or be mounted as a backlight.
Philips Hue standalone lamps
Standalone lights can be placed anywhere in your room, and are generally used to help create accent lighting, rather than as a primary light source. None of these come with a bridge, so you’ll need that to sync, too.
Philips Hue Bloom: $59.99 @ Best Buy : This accent light measures about 5 inches in diameter, and can change to millions of colors. It’s best used to bounce light off a wall behind fixtures like a TV or plant to help set the mood.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellness: $99.99 @ Amazon
Inside this lamp is a single Philips Hue white ambiance bulbs, which can be changed from cool white to warm white. You can also replace the bulb with a color bulb if you like.
Philips Hue Wellner: $99.97 @ Amazon
The Wellner is similar to the Wellness, only it has a more bulbous design. The lamp is easy to set up, and you can screw in any smart bulb you’d like (including one that’s Wi-Fi enabled).
Philips Hue Go Light: $79.99 @ Best Buy
The Go is a splendid accent-lighting piece, and glows from both its circular 4.7-inch base and its flat top. The 300-lumen Go has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 3 hours while unplugged.
Philips Hue light fixtures
While limited to a few options, Philips light fixtures have the bulbs built directly into them. That means that when the LEDs burn out—which should be at least 10 years, if not more—you’ll have to replace the entire fixture. These also require a bridge (sold separately) to control them via Philips’ app.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Fair: $222 @ Amazon
This ceiling light can either be flush-mounted, or purchased with a small or large extension to drop it down a few inches. It has a brushed aluminum finish, and the LEDs can be tuned to a cool or warm white light.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Being: $199.97 @ Amazon
The Being is similar to the Fair, but has a clear panel running around its midsection. It also can only be flush-mounted with the ceiling.
White Ambiance Cher Pendant Light: $220 @ Amazon : Install this fixture anywhere you would a standard overhead light, adjust the height, and pair it with the Hue Bridge. There’s also a variant with great suspension.
Philips Hue outdoor lights
Philips has several large, weather-resistant outdoor lights for illuminating your garden, lawn, patio, and driveway.
Philips Hue Single PAR38 Outdoor: $29.99 @ Amazon : These aren’t just for Philips Hue products; you can screw them into any outdoor fixture that fits a PAR38 bulb and make it a “smart light.” You’ can control and schedule the bulb remotely.
Philips Hue Lily Outdoor Spot Light Kit: $339.99 @ Amazon
Designed to light your backyard, porch or patio, the Lily spotlight is LED-integrated and can shine in millions of colors and shades. The base pack includes three spotlights, and extension kits are $99.99.
Philips Hue Calla Outdoor Pathway: $127.99 @ Amazon Place this LED-integrated bollard along your driveway or front walk to light your guests’ way. The base pack includes one bollard and a power supply, and extension kits are $109.99.
Philips Hue Inara White Outdoor Lantern: $59.99 @ Amazon
The Philips Hue Inara is a traditional wall lantern for lighting your porch or the area outside your door. It uses a white bulb, meaning you can’t change its color, but you can control it remotely.
Philips Hue Lucca Outdoor Wall Lantern: $69.99 @ Amazon
The Lucca wall lantern is very similar to the Inara, but it has a smaller, more modern design, and is $10 more expensive.
Philips Hue Ludere Outdoor Security Light: $129.99 @ Amazon
This floodlight contains two bulbs and is perfect for lighting your driveway or the area outside your garage. Like the Lucca and Inara, it doesn’t change color, but it does deliver 1,350 lumens.
Philips Hue smart lights accessories
Philips also makes several accessories that let you control your Hue lights without having to open the app on your smartphone.
The Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote is one of the best smart light switches for Philips Hue owners. However, if you want advanced features, like routines and timers, you’ll need to connect everything through the Philips Hue bridge.
Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote: $24.99 @ Best Buy : This switch looks like a traditional wall switch, but connects to your Hue lights, so you don’t need to mess with wiring in your walls. Plus, the switch can pop out of its housing, so you can use it as a remote.
Philips Hue Smart Tap Switch: $49.99 @ Best Buy
The Hue Tap Switch can be programmed to automatically activate three different lighting scenes, which can be helpful if you have a particular setting for, say, movie night and another for reading.
Philips Hue Smart Motion Sensor: $39.99 @ Best Buy
This turns the lights on in a room when it senses movement. It detects varying levels of sensitivity, keeps lights on for a period after a person exits, and alters brightness based on the time of day.
Dusk-to-Dawn Outdoor Motion Sensor: $49.99 @ Best Buy
The Philips Hue Outdoor Sensor is a wireless, battery-operated motion sensor light. It also keeps track of the light outside, and makes sure your inside lights don’t switch on until nighttime.