Key Takeaways

  • Philips Hue offers a wide range of smart lighting options, including bulbs, starter kits, and outdoor lighting solutions.
  • The Philips Hue Bridge is an essential component for creating a seamless smart lighting experience and preventing strain on home Wi-Fi.
  • When buying Philips Hue, consider factors such as bulb type, the need for a Hue Bridge, compatibility with other smart home systems, and preferred control methods.

Philips Hue is probably the most recognisable brand in the world of smart home lighting. It was among the first to jump on the 'Internet of Things' bandwagon, giving us lighting in our homes that could be controlled with a smartphone at first and then - when smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google (Nest) Home came along - with our voices.

Read more: Amazon October Prime Day 2023: The best deals you can shop now

With the market now much more mature, there's barely a light type that isn't available from Philips Hue. Whether you want ambient lighting for the back of your TV, regular bulbs or outdoor lighting solutions, there's a Hue for you. And now that the early Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is on the horizon, there are discounts to be had on these popular lights.

Philips Hue 60W A19 White and Colour bulbs (Pack of 3) - save $59

If all you want is bulbs - to expand your setup or to get started - this is the best place to go. You'll get three Philips Hue colour-changing smart bulbs for a price that's less than the full price of two bulbs.

philips hue three pack
Philips Hue 60W A19 White and Color Ambiance LED Smart Color Changing Bulbs - Pack of 3
$76 $135 Save $59

If you already have a Hue Bridge - or don't want one and just want smart bulbs - this is a great kit at a great price.

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance starter kit - save $40

If you want to begin your Hue journey with a basic kit, the two-bulb starter kit is a great place to dive in. You'll get two smart bulbs and the Hue Bridge, all for under $100.

hue starter kit
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Smart Light Starter Kit
$85 $130 Save $45

A starter kit is a great place to begin your Philips Hue journey. It gets you the essential Hue Bridge and two color-changing smart bulbs.

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit - 3 bulbs, Hue Bridge and a Smart Button - save $45

This is a starter kit that gives you a bit extra, giving you three colour-changing Hue bulbs, but also the Hue Bridge and an additional item: the Hue Smart Button. This button lets you control the lights, without needing to use a smartphone or smart home device. All for $135 this Prime Big Deal Day.

hue big kit
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit
$135 $180 Save $45

With this Hue Starter Kit you get three bulbs, the Hue Bridge and a Smart Button for controlling the lights. All for $135.

Philips Hue Slim Downlights (pack of 6) - save $96

Even the slim down-lighters recessed into your ceiling can be replaced by smart Philips Hue bulbs these days, and you can get a pack of six with nearly a quarter off the price.

6 light kit
Philips Hue White and Color Smart Recessed Downlight
$294 $390 Save $96

If you want Philips Hue in your ceiling, the 6-pack of recessed Slim Downlights is ideal.

Philips Hue 16ft outdoor Light Strip - save $56

The 16-foot outdoor Light Strip is ideal for lighting external stairways, bannisters, railings and paths, delivering that same eye-catching lighting effects as its indoor sibling, but in a water-resistant package that can cope with the elements.

hue outdoor gradient strip
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 16 Foot Outdoor Light Strip - Includes 1 Light Strip and 1 Power Supply 40W - Requires Hue Bridge - Works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant
$164 $220 Save $56

The outdoor Lightstrip takes everything that's great about the indoor version, but makes it more durable and water resistance, so you can use it to add accent lights to your external spaces.

Philips Hue Bridge - save 27%

One part of the Philips Hue system you'll be grateful to own - if you haven't already - is the Hue Bridge. It's a Zigbee-based hub that wirelessly connects to your Philips Hue lights, and ensures you're not putting a strain on your home Wi-Fi, giving your bulbs and light strips a single place to connect, and freeing up your Wi-Fi bandwidth for more important things.

hue bridge
Philips Hue Bridge
$45 $60 Save $15

The Philips Hue Bridge is the hub that connects all of your Hue bulbs and lights to the internet. It's the key to an integrated, seamless experience.

What to look for when buying Philips Hue

There is a lot to consider when getting into the world of smart lighting, particularly with Philips Hue. The first - and most obvious - thing to consider is the type of bulb or light that you need for the space you have. You'll need to look at the fixtures you have, and make sure you buy the bulbs with the correct fittings, just like when you go buying traditional light bulbs. You also need to decide if you want bulbs that only do different temperatures of white or whether you want one that changes colour.

After that, you'll need to figure out whether you need a Philips Hue Bridge. As mentioned above, the Hue Bridge is a wireless hub that connects all of your Philips Hue lights, and allows you to create and activate certain scenes. Some of the Hue lighting will work without the Hue Bridge, using Bluetooth to connect to the light, but the feature list is a little limited when you do this and you're limited to just a couple of bulbs. If you imagine kitting your house out with multiple bulbs, we'd advise getting the Hue Bridge. It's also a great way to ensure your Wi-Fi router/Bluetooth aren't getting clogged up by the demands of the smart lighting. However, you can technically use anything with a built-in Zigbee standard hub, and that includes a few of Amazon's Echo devices like the 4th gen Echo and the Echo Studio, or even an Ikea Tradfri gateway.

This brings us neatly to another point: are you using exclusively Philips Hue or are you planning on mixing and matching bulbs into one smarthome system? If it's the latter, you might want to skip the Hue bridge and get yourself a different Zigbee-compatible hub, this makes it easier to add other lighting to the same single hub.

You should also consider how you're predominantly going to control your lights. Would you rather a physical switch - in which case you could buy a kit with a smart switch included - or do you imagine using your voice? If the latter, you can often find bundles that include Hue bulbs and an Echo Dot.

Apart from all of that you then have the styles and designs of light. A standard-shaped bulb is great of existing fixtures, but if you want to add lighting to your entertainment system, there are gradient light strips and light bars that are far better at adding colourful lighting to your TV backdrop.

More fall Prime Day deals

If you’re looking for more deals on our favorite gadgets, tablets, and more during Prime Day in October, be sure to check out the following:

FAQ

Q: When are Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days?

Amazon is running its summer sales event over the 10th and 11th of October this year, so there's not long to wait until discounts drop.

Q: Do I need to be a Prime member?

Short answer: yes. However, it should be noted that there are plenty of offers running even now, and those discounts aren't exclusive to Amazon Prime subscribers. On the other hand, we expect the discounts to grow in number as we get closer to the actual Prime Big Deal Days event. What's more, once there are October Prime Day exclusive deals, you will need to be a member to take advantage. You can get a 30-day trial, however, so you don't even need to pay to sign up and get access to Prime Day and all the other benefits of being a Prime subscriber.