Thursday, March 28, 2024

Believe it or not, Philips Hue is far from the only smart bulb you can buy

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Philips Hue smart lights are some of the coolest on the market and they’re definitely some of the most popular, but they can be quite expensive, especially once you get into colored bulbs. If you’re looking for a less expensive alternative, or just something other than what’s popular, then check out these other awesome options.

Best alternative

LIFX LED Bulb

Staff pick

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LIFX’s bulbs aren’t the most affordable, but they do provide 16 million colors and 1,000 shades of white. They connect via Wi-Fi without the need for a hub, and each bulb only uses 17 watts despite a lumen count of 1,017.

$56 at Amazon
$60 at Best Buy
$93 at Walmart

Insanely cheap

Cree Connected Dimmable LED Bulb

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The price of this bulb from Cree might seem too good to be true, but it’s not. You won’t find any options for multiple colors, but what Cree does offer is an extremely affordable bulb that’s dimmable and can be controlled from your phone or via Alexa.

$7 at Amazon
$19 at Walmart

Millions of options

Sylvania Smart+ Color Changing LED Bulb

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If you’d rather have a multicolored bulb but can’t stomach LIFX’s prices, the Sylvania Smart+ is a fantastic choice. We love that you can choose from millions of colors, along with being able to control the bulbs remotely. Just make sure you connect them to a Zigbee smart hub.

$23 at Amazon
$26 at Walmart
$39 at Newegg

No hub required

Eufy Lumos Smart Bulb 2.0

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For hub-less Wi-Fi control of your smart lights, Eufy’s Lumos bulbs are excellent. You can change the temperature of the light from cool to warm, or somewhere in between. Eufy also supports automated schedules and remote control — all with an 18-month warranty.

$20 at Amazon
$16 at Walmart
$16 at Newegg

Works with everything

Yeelight Dimmable Light Bulb

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Yeelight’s bulbs work with Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, and Apple Homekit. No matter which smart service you rely on, chances are Yeelight supports it. This particular bulb has a dimmable white light, can be controlled remotely, and doesn’t need a hub.

$20 at Amazon
$24 at Walmart
$30 at Newegg

Affordable color

TECKIN Multicolor LED Bulb

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Multicolor light bulbs tend to be expensive, but they don’t have to be thanks to TECKIN. Available as a single bulb, or in a two-pack or four-pack, you can choose from over 16 million colors, pre-made scenes, and more — all without needing to bother with a dedicated hub.

From $14 at Amazon

3-pack deal

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For fabulous everyday bulbs at a great price, this TP-Link three-pack is perfect for getting your smart home started. It’s pretty affordable when you work out the per bulb cost, and you can control them with Alexa or Google Assistant with no hub required.

$59 at Amazon

A bulb for every room

Wyze Smart Home Light Bulbs

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Chances are you want more than one smart bulb. You probably want to place one (or two) in every room. This bundle from Wyze is a great way to do just that, giving you four bulbs at an unbeatable price. You get dimmable white lighting and don’t have to worry about a hub.

$42 at Amazon

Light-up wall art

Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition

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If you want your smart lights to make more of a statement than a simple bulb does, check out the Rhythm from Nanoleaf. This gives you a pack of nine panels, each featuring millions of color options. There are also audio sensors, which change the lighting in time with your tunes.

$200 at Best Buy
$200 at Newegg

So many bulbs, such little time

Philips Hue bulbs might be among the most recognizable in the smart lighting space, but as you can see, they’re far from your only option. Overall, we think the best alternative out there is the LIFX LED Bulb. While not something we’d consider cheap, we think you’re getting what you pay for. Not only do you get tons of color options with all sorts of smart controls, but LIFX bulbs have proven to be reliable and easy to use. Compared directly against Philips Hue, there’s also the big advantage that LIFX bulbs don’t require a smart hub.

If you like the idea of multicolored smart bulbs but don’t have that kind of cash, another great pick is the Sylvania Smart+ Color Changing LED Bulb. A hub is required in this case, but you’re spending a lot less money to get a pretty similar experience.

Finally, if you aren’t concerned about fancy colors and just want an inexpensive way to get a bunch of bulbs in your home, the Wyze Smart Home Light Bulbs are hard to ignore.

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