Three new Philips Hue bulbs have been launched in the UK. As of today, a new, smaller bulb size is available for sale, as well as updates of the Surimu and Aurelle panels in fresh shapes and sizes.
In addition, new features are coming later this year via software updates to the Philips Hue Bridge and Hue app that increase customization and control over lighting.
Don’t forget you need a Hue Bridge to unlock all the bulbs’ functions ($59.99/ £49.99). With the bridge you can synchronize your lights, control them remotely, set up automations and use voice control.
The light panels will not be available in the US, but the software updates will be. We’ve asked for more information, but hadn’t heard back at the time of publishing this article.
Philips Hue E14 luster lamp
The brand’s most compact lamp is now available in both White Ambiance and White and Color Ambiance. If you have a mini fixture or teeny tiny bulb that you haven’t been able to add to your smart home setup yet, this might be your chance.
The White Ambiance lamp has a wide range of color temperatures, with 50,000 shades of natural white light, from warm to cool.
For more mood lighting options, the White and color Ambiance lamp offers millions of colors across the entire spectrum.
- E14 Luster White Ambiance Bulb – £29.99 (Phillips)
- E14 Luster White and Color Ambiance bulb – £54.99 (Phillips)
White and Color Ambiance Surimu panel
The Surimu is also getting an update. The Surimu is a colored panel that sits flush with the ceiling and emits a soft, diffused light more suited to creating a club feel than illuminating the table while engrossed in a particularly challenging puzzle.
It is currently available in a square 60x60cm And rectangular shape of 120 x 30 cm (£294.99 each from Philips), but you can now get a half-size square panel, as well as a round model.
Phillips Hue
- White and Color Ambiance Surimu panel 30 x 30cm – £209.99 (Phillips)
- White and Color Ambiance Surimu Panel (Round) 39.5cm Diameter – £219.99 (Phillips)
Philips Hue White Ambiance Aurelle panel
There are also additions to the Aurelle range. The four current models (see them at Philips) have a white frame, but if it doesn’t match your interior color palette, then there’s good news. Or, at least, it’s good news as black shall agreement. The four new Aurelle panels are framed in a “premium black finish”.
![Philips Hue Aurelle panel lighting on a kitchen ceiling](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/philips_hue_aurelle.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Phillips Hue
Unfortunately, if you’re hoping to light up your home like a John Wick fight scene, the Aurelle isn’t for you. It is only a White Ambiance bulb.
White Ambiance Aurelle with black frame:
New update for brightness balancer and motion sensor
One of the problems with grouped lamps is that it is difficult to dim lamps of different brightness to the same level. But Philips Hue is launching a solution. The brightness balancer gives you more precise control over several lights that you have grouped together as your “entertainment area”.
When you’re listening to music, watching movies or gaming, you can individually adjust their Hue bulbs to illuminate an area, or lower the higher lumen bulbs to a suitable dim level for popcorn munching and viewing. of movies.
The update will come via the app in Q3 (July – September), but note that this will only work for bulbs that you have specifically grouped in the app in the entertainment areawhich usually means light bars, light strips, accent lights, and more.
A Hue Bridge update expected at the same time will also greatly increase the flexibility of your motion sensor programming. Currently, the motion sensors have two time slots – daytime and nighttime – so you can set a bright light to come on when you open your front door during the day and a low light at night. This can be a bit limiting if you want a different brightness level, say at 10pm and 3am.
But the number of time slots is expanded to ten, so you can adjust your lighting to the time of day. This raises the interesting possibility of setting a sunny orange glow to your early morning cereal or a vibrant red light at 10am to alert you to your morning meeting.
The less adventurous can use the natural light scene to mimic the sunlight that changes throughout the day, which could be a boon on gray winter days where there isn’t really much sun.
If you’re interested in this feature, check out our review of the Dyson Solarcycle Morph, which has a natural daylight setting, and check out our roundup of the best light alarms we’ve tested, which gently wake you up by slowly turning the light into your brighten up bedroom.