Philips Hue update brings automation improvements to smart lights

Philips Hue remains one of the most popular smart lighting options. And the bulbs are getting even smarter, thanks to some additional features on the way to the bulbs later this year. Bringing extra personalisation and automation options, the added functionality will make its way to the Philips Hue companion app.

• Read more: How to choose a smart lighting system

First up on the list is a new feature called brightness balancer. Got multiple Philips Hue lights in the same room? You might have noticed that some a slightly brighter than others. This new feature lets you dim brighter bulbs (with a higher lumen count) more than dimmer bulbs, so they all end up at the same level. It’s designed to give you more evenly lit lighting in a room, especially while you’re enjoying entertainment.

Also up on the list is an improvement to motion sensing. At the moment, you can only set two time slots to automate lights when the sensors detect movement. But with the Philips Hue update, you can now select up to ten different time slots. This lets you turn the lights off, and change the hue up to ten times throughout the day. As part of this, the Natural light scene gets an improvement, as you can now use it to mimic the sun throughout the day.

You can take advantage of these new features with existing Philips Hue smart lights, or the brand’s latest bulbs. New to the line-up are the E14 Luster bulbs,. You’ll also find new lighting panels – the 300x300mm Surimu panel or the 300x300mm Aurelle panel (both with larger sizes available).

Hue-owner Signify’s other lighting brand Wiz also recently announced a whole stack of products ranging from ceiling lights to colour filament bulbs to a Neon flex strip. Previously, it also revealed a security camera.

• Related: Smart lighting key terms explained: what to look for when buying bulbs, strips and more

Connor Jewiss

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home