Philips Hue White A19

Works without a hub. Easy to install. Vibrant colors. Supports Alexa and Google voice commands. Can be added to Hue ecosystem.

Expensive. Requires Hue Bridge for remote access and to use other Hue features.

The Philips Hue Bluetooth White and Color Ambiance is a smart LED bulb that you can control with your phone and voice without the need for a hub—that is, unless you want to control it from a remote location or make it work with other smart devices.

Highly customizable. Better blues and greens, with improved color consistency, brightness, and longevity over previous bulbs. More intuitive app experience. Lots of fun third-party integrations

Expensive. Setting Routines could be easier.

The third-generation Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit is costly, but remains the ultimate way to get started with smart lighting in your home.

Photo-to-light hue matching feature is endlessly entertaining ; Vibrant colors ; Lots of configurability options, including a clever geofencing system

Disappointing brightness no matter what color you pick ; Non-intuitive app interface ; Major range issues in my installation

Limited range and a clunky mobile interface make Hue a tough sell amidst growing competition.

Rich Philips ecosystem offers access to plenty of add-ons ; Great-looking bulb, great-looking light ; Ample support for smart-home systems and more

These are the most expensive smart bulbs on the market ; App is simpler with white-only features, but it’s still not perfect ; Requires proprietary hub

Core tech improvements make this one of the best-looking and brightest bulbs on the market ; The redesigned Hue Bridge is less intrusive than the original ; Next-gen features include support for Apple’s Siri and Apple Watch

Nearly as expensive as the first-generation Hue ; We experienced some hiccups during setup; the app still has room for improvement ; Hue is all business: There are no native “fun” features

After trying out Philips Hue, I realised that smart lights are more than just remote activation of lights. It has many other capabilities left to the imagination and creativity of the individual. This starter kit is a teaser of things to come, provided...