Philips Hue GU10 Starter Kit and B22 Colour Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Philips Starter Kit is available in E27, B22 and GU10 format, each coming with three bulbs in their respective format, as well as the Hue Hub 2.0. Prices for these are typically £149.99. Extra bulbs vary a lot in price dependant on the specifications, as you can get Hue GU10 White bulbs for as little as £24.99 each or £44.99 for a twin pack, while RGBW models will cost around £49.99 each.

Overview

I’m blown away by the Philips Hue lighting kit, from my personal experience playing around with some rival hardware, it’s clear to see why Philips products come with a premium price tag. They may not be the cheapest, but they’re certainly the best by quite a wide margin. We think a lot of their improvements over rival hardware comes from their use of a dedicated hub, which increases response times and connectivity between multiple bulbs compared to direct WiFi lighting that pairs with your router, especially in houses with poor WiFi signals.

The mobile app is a gigantic leap ahead of their rivals in terms of ease of use and customisation too. It’s a joy to use and despite the range of advanced features Hue offers, it’s beginner friendly and walks you through the whole process in a clear and easy to follow manner. There’s no technical expertise needed to install the hardware either, with the hardest part (for some) being that you’ll need to hook up an ethernet cable from the hub to your router, but we doubt that’ll throw off your typical eTeknix reader, right?

The whole setup is compatible with services like Amazon Alexa too. Once installed, just ask Alexa to discover devices and she’ll find all your scenes and lights in seconds. You simply have to ask “Alexa turn on movie night in living room” and your “movie night” scene will activate in the room you asked for. Ask her to dim the lights, brighten the lights, or simply turn them on or off as you need to; couldn’t be any easier than that.

The build quality and finish of all the hardware is superb too. The metal housing with durable plastic domes on all of the lightbulbs fills us with confidence, and their sleek design means they’ll blend in with your lamps and light fittings with ease. The price may be expensive, especially if you’re looking to refit your whole house with Philips Hue, but given the customisation options they offer, the durable build quality, the built-in WiFi, mobile connectivity, and the 25,000hr lifespan of the bulbs, we think they’re a very interesting investment and from the first time you set your first Scene, you’ll have no regrets about your investment.

Pros

• Class-leading build quality
• Stylish design
• Easy to install
• Excellent mobile app
• Compatible with most smart home systems such as Alexa and HomeKit
• Ultra-fast response times
• Good range of additional lights available
• Add-on sensors, switches and more available
• Create custom scenes using mobile images
• Timers, schedules and away modes

Cons

• No E14 bulbs available

Neutral

• Not cheap, but you certainly get what you’re paying for in terms of features and quality

“Philips are one of the biggest names in the home lighting market, and that’s something they’re clearly eager to carry on into the world smart home lighting. The Hue are by far the best lights we’ve ever seen, offering rich colours, easy customisation and expandability that offers virtually endless possibilities.”