Truly best review Philips Hue light bulbs & top 3 F.A.Qs

How long do hue bulbs last to be worth such a price? Save money on buying expensive bulbs.

The development of smart technologies has changed our daily life, even in such trivial things as house lighting. Manufacturers of next-generation hue light bulbs state that their rather expensive products are designed specifically for their customers’ convenience and household budget savings.

To find out if it is true or false, let’s study the question of how long the hue bulbs last.

hue bulbs

Let’s find out! How long do hue bulbs last?

Thomas Edison invented the first incandescent lamp in 1880, thus bringing more light to our daily lives. But his invention had one significant drawback: it used to burn out too quickly and suddenly.

Ever since regular incandescent bulbs appeared in our homes, people have been searching for a way to improve Edison’s invention, somehow customize it, and prolong its lifespan.

There were a lot of experiments with bulb design and production technology to decrease electricity consumption and lessen the amount of generated energy turned into heat. And finally, here they are – LED light bulbs.

How long do hue bulbs last?

What are LED light bulbs?

The LED abbreviation stands for a light-emitting diode – a semiconductor used to conduct electricity to light up the bulb. The technology of LED bulbs does not involve using gases. That is why LED bulbs emit solid-state lighting and are considered 80% more efficient than incandescent bulbs.

Yet, among all LED light bulb products, we can single out Philips Hue lights, which combine the effectiveness of LED technology with Smart Home innovations.

What are Philips Hue lights?

The range of Philips Hue production includes color-changing and white LED bulbs that can be controlled remotely via the Hue app on the customer’s phone. In fact, Philips Hue was the first company that started creating and manufacturing LED smart bulbs almost ten years ago, and it still stays the leader in the smart light market.

Constant improvements have resulted in the creation of a perfect product that allows wireless dimming and brightening, changing colors and color temperature, and creating the desired ambience by voice control.

Furthermore, the Philips Hue smart bulbs outperform regular and halogen bulbs in many other ways. They are more energy efficient and have a long lifespan.

Overview of Philips Hue Bulbs

Nowadays, there are three generations of Philips bulbs, each of which has unique improvements. The main developments were related to bulb design and smart technology upgrades, such as issuing a new Hue Bridge version to make the product compatible with other smart home devices.

Philips Hue Bridge is a central hub with an integrated Zigbee chip. If plugged into your Wi-Fi router, Hue Bridge enables you to control up to 50 bulbs simultaneously, which is rather convenient if lightening a large area, for example, a restaurant or a mansion with a yard zone.

Using Hue Bridge with Philips Hue light bulbs is not mandatory, as most of the Philips Hue bulbs are equipped with Bluetooth technology. It allows controlling a smart bulb or a bulb kit by phone, even without the internet. And if you still want to access your smart bulbs via the internet and without a bridge, it is possible to connect each bulb to your network separately.

The difference between Philips Hue bulbs of the 1st and subsequent generations also concerns the bulb’s lifespan. In this regard, the company has done its best to make the light bulbs last tremendously long.

How long do Philips LED light bulbs last?

So let’s look at how Philips Hue light bulbs have progressed in extending their lifespan.

The 1st Generation Philips Bulbs

The 1st generation white dimmable bulbs introduced by Philips Hue in October 2012 have got a lifespan of almost 15,000 hours. Is it long? Well, let’s evaluate this huge number in some other figures. It is more than one and a half years of constant usage. But usually, we switch on lightning for 6 – 7 hours a day, which means that these bulbs can serve you for 6 – 7 years.

The 2nd Generation Philips Bulbs

The 2nd generation bulbs were presented by Philips Hue in December 2015. The luminance of these new bulbs was increased by 33% and the lifespan has reached the figure of 25,000 hours. According to our calculations, it equals 11 – 12 years of normal exploitation pace. Due to this fact, the product has quickly gained popularity among consumers.

The 3rd Generation Philips Bulbs

The 3rd generation bulbs were introduced in the market six years ago, in October 2016. The 3rd generation improvements did not influence the bulb lifespan, which was left the same – 25,000 hours on average. But the bulb design range was considerably expanded, and the bulbs obtained visibly richer colors.

The 3rd generation bulbs allow customers to select among White Ambiance, White and Color Ambiance, and White versions.

Regardless of it, all color ambience bulbs have the same lifetime.

So, the 2nd and the 3rd generations Philips bulbs are considered to be the most long-lasting in the market

Comparing Philips Hue bulb and traditional incandescent bulb lifespan

It is clear that the typical incandescent bulbs lose in this lifespan competition as their average exploitation period rarely exceeds 2000 hours. Simple calculations show that it will last approximately only 9 – 10 months if we have it switched on for 7 hours a day. So, the difference between a Philips Hue light bulb and a regular incandescent bulb is significant.

Moreover, the figure of 25,000 hours stands for an average lifespan of hue light bulbs, but if used reasonably and with precaution, they can keep working for about 50,000 hours.

Comparing Philips Hue bulb and traditional incandescent bulb prices

50,000 hours seems an impressive figure. But the reasonable questions will be, What about the price? Can we really save money on buying Philips Hue light bulbs?

Well, Philips Hue light bulbs are not cheap. A standard Philips Hue white LED smart bulb costs $15. Philips Hue White Ambiance LED price is $25 in retail, and a starter kit of this product comes at $120. Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance LED will cost you $50 a bulb and $180 for a kit.

It seems an enormous difference if we compare it to incandescent bulbs, whose prices never exceed $10, and the cheapest ones are sold for $1. But taking into account their short lifespan, you will have to change such bulbs at least once a year. So, your annual expense for each bulb will start from $12.

With Philips Hue bulbs, probably you will not need to buy new bulbs for the next seven years or more. And considering all other benefits of these bulbs, like remote control, customized light modes, LED color rendering, compatibility with other smart devices, lower energy cost, and environmental safety, the price appears to be more than reasonable.

Do Hue bulbs burn out?

Still, like any other bulb, a Philips Hue bulb can burn out and, due to some factors, this can happen much earlier than one expects. To reduce the risk of bulb damage, let’s see what can negatively affect smart LED bulbs.

Environment

The outside environment can influence the lifespan of smart bulbs, especially if they are exposed to extreme temperatures or high humidity. For outside usage, Philips Hue has created a specific line of smart lights designed to resist environmental factors.

Electric fluctuations

An electrical surge can also damage Philips Hue bulbs, so if you live in an area where electric fluctuations can occur frequently, you’d rather avoid purchasing expensive LED lights.

Enclosed fixture

The enclosing factor can influence the white and color ambience bulb lifespan because the lack of ventilation may cause overheating. Avoid enclosed fixtures if possible.

Faulty bulbs

Although Philips Hue manufactures high-quality products, there is still a chance to get a faulty bulb which burns out very quickly. For such cases, the company provides a warranty. Once claimed, it will guarantee delivery of a new bulb to replace the faulty one.

The warranty covers not only manufacturing defects, but transportation damages as well. Depending on the product you have purchased, the warranty period for Philips Hue bulbs is from 2 to 3 years.

Conclusion

Considering all the above-mentioned facts, we can conclude that Philips Hue bulbs are a worthy investment which can serve you well for a long time, thus saving your money and efforts.

Although the price of Philips Hue lights is higher than that of similar products on the market, it is justified by its high-quality, enormous lifespan, easy installation, and numerous innovations elaborated to make your sweet home even sweeter and more comfortable.

With Philips Hue smart bulbs you can easily create the required ambience or adjust lighting according to your desire, remotely control the bulbs even if you are far away, and use voice commands to switch the lights on and off. Once installed and linked to the network, these bulbs will be incorporated into your Smart Home ecosystem perfectly well.

No matter what Philips Hue product you buy, be sure, you will be satisfied with this purchase and never get back to using regular incandescent bulbs.

Of course, it is up to you to decide what bulbs to buy. But as a famous proverb says, “Buy nice or buy twice”, so it should not be only an attractive price that matters. Even when buying such a simple thing as a bulb, it is better to find out all the pros and cons of the product to make the right choice.

Read also:

How long do smart bulbs last?

The lifespan of the Philips Hue smart bulb is better than most of the LED lights available on the market. Due to the way LED light generates from the bulb, Philips Hue smart lights traditionally last up to 50,000 hours, which is fifty times as much as traditional incandescent light bulbs.

How long does Philips Hue Bridge last?

Although all three generations of Philips lights are compatible with Hue Bridge, it is not recommended to use the first outdated version because it does not support new security updates. So, if you don’t want some hackers to take control of your smarts lights, think of being Hue Bridge v.2.
Besides, the second version functions much better with the 2nd and the 3rd generation bulbs.

Why do my Philips Hue bulbs not function properly?

– restart your Wi-Fi router;
– keep the Philips Hue bulbs away from metal surfaces which can interfere with the signal;
– make sure that your bridge or individual bulbs are connected to your home’s Wi-Fi network;
– should the issue persist, refer to the Philips Hue support site for further help.

Do Hue lights increase electric bill?

Yes, using Hue lights will increase your electric bill as they consume electricity while in use. However, Hue LED lights are energy-efficient and can save you money in the long run as they use less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Are Hue bulbs being discontinued?

Whether Hue light bulbs are worth it depends on your personal preferences and needs. Hue bulbs are more expensive than traditional light bulbs, but they offer a range of benefits such as the ability to control the lights with a smartphone app or voice commands, adjust brightness and color, set schedules and timers, and integrate with other smart home devices.

Do smart bulbs slow down WiFi?

Smart bulbs may slow down Wi-Fi to some extent as they use Wi-Fi signals to communicate with other devices, but the impact is usually negligible. The effect on your Wi-Fi network speed will depend on the number of devices connected to your network, the strength of your Wi-Fi signal, and the quality of your router.


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