Philips is extending the capabilities of its Hue lighting system even further with the Philips Hue White Ambiance kit, which will give fans of the smart lighting system access to every shade of white light (via SlashGear). The new bulbs are a more robust version of the Philips Hue Lux system, which is limited to dimmable white light rather than the full array of colors available with the standard Hue bulbs.

The White Ambiance bulbs are billed as a natural companion to the day/night light cycle of the sun, encouraging users to wake up in the mornings and then dimming the light temperature to a low-level of light before bed. The low light mode is similar in theory to Apple's upcoming Night Shift feature in iOS 9.3, which cuts down on the amount of blue light users interact with in the evening hours to facilitate a better night's sleep.

Hue white ambiance kit

In fact, the Ambience bulb supports anything from 6,500 K, the equivalent of cool daylight, all the way to 2,200 K, which is a warmer, almost golden light. Philips' light recipes are supported, which use different light temperatures to promote concentration, relaxation, or other moods.

To help with this, Philips is introducing a feature called "Routines" with the launch of the White Ambiance bulbs. Comparable to the alarms and timers of the current Hue app, Routines will allow users to customize instances that gradually increase white light levels ahead of a pre-set time in the morning, and dim lights as bed time draws near in the evening. It should be noted, as with the lower-cost Lux bulbs, the White Ambiance kit will not support the ability to change to any colors besides variations of white.

Philips will sell the new bulbs individually at a price not yet disclosed by the company, along with a starter kit that will come with a wall switch, two ambiance bulbs, and the new HomeKit-enabled Hue Bridge 2.0. It will launch "in the spring," with more information trickling out closer to launch day. The company also hinted that this fall it will be launching a line of lamps with the same white color spectrum capabilities as the ambiance bulbs.

Top Rated Comments

Sandstorm Avatar
105 months ago
I find it a bit hard to imagine that the hardware is capable of being variations of white, but isn't actually capable of being any arbitrary color... I'd imagine the only difference between this and the ordinary hue bulb is just firmware.
Come on, are you serious? I'm certain these lights just have cold white + warm white LEDs inside and thats it. Changing the individual intensity between them software creates all the white light variations.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
105 months ago
If they can get these out the door for $25 or less then this is what will push me into upgrading the rest of my home to HUE lights.

I have a few HUE lights in my bedroom, but $60 is way too much for the color bulbs, and the inexpensive $15 "white" ones are always warm white. I like being able to have different color temperatures depending on mood.

PLEASE let them charge $25 or less for this. At the MOST, $30. This is good stuff; I'm happy with the Hue bulbs I have, but want more at a reasonable price.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gman36 Avatar
105 months ago
Glad I just returned my white starter kit for the color starter kit just so I could adjust the color temperature....
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ppenn Avatar
105 months ago
Does anybody have experience with competitors and cheaper products in this space? I'd like to dive in at a reasonable price but honestly Hue seems like the the most convenient option at this point.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
105 months ago
I was a big fan of Hue. I bought 4 bulbs and a bridge a while back. Two in the bedroom and two in the living room. I actually have one in the bedroom that turns on at 6 am and that serves as my alarm today. However, I have been holding back on any new purchases given the (previous) lack of support for homekit and the fact that the home automation space seems to be a mess right now. Before putting any more money into anything I am going to wait to see if someone comes out as a leader in the space with a full range of solutions (lighting, security, temperature, locks, fire, water, kitchen, etc.)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Southern Dad Avatar
104 months ago
It will work with up to 63 bulbs, but Hue recommends no more than 50 or it gets flaky. From here ('http://www.developers.meethue.com/content/63-lights-limit'). I have not seen any outdoor bulbs anywhere. I guess you could use a regular Hue bulb in a housing/fixture that is enclosed.
Thanks for that information. I don't plan to exceed 50 so that is good news.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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