Philips Hue lightsare extremely reliable and offer wide compatibility with smart home platforms. However, the brand’s bulbs and light strips aren’t often associated with affordability. That’s why the Hue Black Friday sale is always highly anticipated. Predictably, theFestavia String Lightsare discounted just in time for the holiday season. The build quality and performance of these indoor/outdoor lights are unmatched. Perhaps the most popular Hue product, theWhite and Color Ambiance A19 Bulbsis also on sale, ready for use 365 days a year.
At their Black Friday price, the Philips Huesmart bulbsremain more expensive than some competitors. Still, once buyers test them for several weeks, they discover why the lights are so highly rated. Using the tried-and-true ZigBee protocol and ethernet, the Hue Bridge is necessary for the fastest responses to voice and app commands. While this add-on raises costs, it’s a wise investment, especially with a home full of compatible lights. Philips has some configurations of theA19 bulbs, including the Bridge, on sale. Otherwise, the lights can be controlled via Bluetooth on mobile phones, but some features are unavailable, like out-of-home control.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 LED Smart Bulb
The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 LED Smart Bulb continues to be the industry’s most popular and trusted smart light bulb. Using Bluetooth connectivity, the Hue Smart Bulb no longer requires a Hue Bridge, but the Bridge enables more functionality like whole-home control. The estimated lifetime of the Hue A19 LED Smart Bulb is 22 years or 25,000 hours, so these bulbs are not just for occasional use.
The Hue Bridge also makes most Hue lights compatible with Matter. Support for this form of connectivity makes the lights accessible in even more apps. Even without the Bridge, Hue bulbs are compatible with Google Home, Alexa, and Apple Home, with the latter being an advantage over manyGovee lights. Regardless of the app, Philips' lights impress with their accurate colors and subtle warm and cool white hues.
Some Hue smart lights are more geared toward celebrating special occasions. TheFestavia String Lightsversion on sale covers large trees and outdoor areas with 500 LED bulbs over a 131-foot cord. String lights are also effortless to wrap around patio or stair railings, so the possibilities to create illuminated holiday cheer are endless.
The Festavia lights still test budgets at this Black Friday price. Even so, their construction impresses like the Hue bulbs, and buyers will find that the small bulbs and cord feel more substantial than cheaper string light alternatives. Once installed, owners can program different colors to show on multiple gradients along the light strip. The result is dynamic scenes, with some holiday-specific effects thrown into the mix. The lights add more life to parties, especially when set to react to music.
Hue also has several other smart light discounts worth considering. One of the more reasonably priced introductions to the brand is theLightstrip Plus. The 80-inch length is slashed 40% off the normal asking price, and its installation is more flexible than many LED light strips. If attempting a tricky cabinet install, the strips bend and flex around corners and can be trimmed at numerous points. Like theNanoleaf Essentials Matter Lightstrip, the Plus can only display one color along the strip at a time, which keeps its cost down. Nevertheless, the colors are precise, and its 1700-lumen output is impressive.
Hue lights become even more stunning when grouped with several different devices. Fortunately, Philips is running another Black Friday deal where purchasing two or more products unlocks an additional 30% savings. The manufacturer has manylight switches, plugs, and other accessories that ease the transition to the smart home age.
