Philips is widening the smart lighting tent with a full Hue lineup overhaul, headlined by new budget-friendly Hue Essential bulbs and a higher-capacity hub. The move lowers the cost of entry while adding performance and standards support that power users have been asking for.
Budget bulbs broaden the Hue audience
The Hue Essential bulbs are the headline play for value seekers. Standard A19/E26 models start at about $25 individually or roughly $15 each in a four-pack—pricing that undercuts traditional Hue LEDs by a wide margin. That puts Philips closer to mainstream rivals while preserving the brand’s polish and app ecosystem.
There are trade-offs. Essential bulbs dim down to 2 percent instead of the whisper-low 0.2 percent offered by the flagship series, and they cover a narrower white spectrum at 2,200–6,500 K. For most rooms that’s plenty, but color purists and home theater tinkerers will note the difference. The range will include BR30 and GU10 options, extending the lower-cost tiers to recessed and spot fixtures.
Flagship bulbs push deeper dimming and wider whites
Philips is also lifting the ceiling for its standard color bulbs. The updated models hit a 0.2 percent minimum brightness—useful for late-night navigation—and claim a full visible white range of 1,000–20,000 K. That means warmer-than-candle ambers up to clinical, blue-shifted whites that some users prefer for focus-intensive tasks. It’s a rare spec set in consumer lighting and a nod to Hue’s enthusiast base.
Hue Bridge Pro expands scale and speed
For larger homes and heavy automators, the new Hue Bridge Pro is the biggest architectural change in years. Priced around $99, it supports “150+ lights” and “50+ accessories,” roughly tripling the capacity of the current bridge, which remains available as a lower-cost option near $66. That leap means many users who run two or more bridges today could consolidate to one box once software support lands later this year.
Beyond device limits, the Bridge Pro is designed for faster responsiveness and more headroom for scenes, sensors, and entertainment features. Historically, Hue’s dedicated bridge has ensured low-latency control and robust automations that Wi-Fi bulbs often struggle to match when scaled. The new hardware doubles down on that advantage.
Matter-over-Thread joins the party
Philips is layering in Matter-over-Thread across new accessories, aligning Hue with the cross-brand standard stewarded by the Connectivity Standards Alliance. In practical terms, Thread brings mesh reliability and low-power performance, while Matter improves out-of-the-box interoperability with platforms like Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa.
Hue’s bridge-centric model isn’t going away—the Bridge Pro remains the power user hub—but broader Matter support reduces setup friction and helps mixed-brand homes behave more consistently. It’s a measured approach that keeps Hue’s advanced features while meeting the industry halfway.
Strips, strings, and a security doorbell
The refresh doesn’t stop at bulbs. New indoor and outdoor light strips arrive, including lower-priced Essential-branded variants for accent lighting on patios, cabinets, and stairs. Festavia outdoor string lights make a return with weatherproofing for year-round use, expanding beyond holiday decor into landscape mood lighting.
On the security front, a Hue Secure video doorbell priced near $170 integrates lighting and alerts in one ecosystem. While the doorbell isn’t the cheapest path to video entry, the value proposition is tighter automations—think a motion trigger that kicks off a porch scene, floods the driveway, and records an event in one flow.
Why this matters for buyers
Price has long been Hue’s biggest barrier. Tariff pressure and premium positioning pushed many shoppers toward budget brands. The Essential line pulls Philips back into contention without abandoning the hallmark software, accessory breadth, and reliability that built Hue’s reputation.
Meanwhile, the Bridge Pro addresses real-world scale issues—homes that outgrew the 50-light era—and prepares Hue for dense, low-latency setups mixing bulbs, sensors, switches, and entertainment sync. Add Matter-over-Thread, and Hue now plays nicer with the rest of the smart home while keeping its pro-grade backbone.
For first-time buyers, the recommended path is simple: start with Essential bulbs in high-use rooms, then reserve flagship bulbs for areas where ultra-low dimming and extended white spectrum pay off, such as bedrooms, studios, or media spaces. If you’re already running multiple bridges or planning 100-plus devices, the Bridge Pro looks like the smarter long-term hub.
Taken together, this overhaul feels like a recalibration. Philips is making Hue more accessible at the low end, more capable at the high end, and more compatible in the middle—an approach that reflects where the smart lighting market is headed and what seasoned users actually need.