Which Philips Hue white light bulb should I get?

Best answer: Philips Hue White and White Ambiance are both smart light bulbs that produce white light. The difference is that while Philips Hue White is set at a single warm white color temperature, Philips Hue White Ambiance bulbs offer 50,000 shades of natural white light.

What’s the difference between Philips Hue White and White Ambiance bulbs?

Though the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance is the best Philips Hue bulb to get, not everyone needs 16 million color options for their home lighting. That’s where white light bulbs like the Philips Hue White and White Ambiance come in.

You’ll find no difference between these two light bulbs when it comes to smart features or capabilities, and both can be dimmed to create brighter or lower lighting. The main distinction is that Philips Hue White light bulbs emit only one shade of white: a soft white light at 2700K. The Philips Hue White Ambiance, on the other hand, lets you pick among a wide temperature range of white light that goes from warm to cool or, specifically, 2200K-6500K.

Another important difference to note is the price. Philips Hue White light bulbs are nearly half the price of Philips Hue White Ambiance light bulbs, so you’ll need to make sure they’re worth the extra bucks before investing.

Is the Philips Hue White or White Ambiance bulb better for my home?

When deciding whether to get the Philips Hue White or White Ambiance light bulbs, you need to first consider where you plan on installing your lights and what purpose they’ll serve. They’re not the same price, so if you plan on using your bulbs in a lamp, hallway, or bedroom, the Philips Hue White bulb is the best pick. In such spaces, you won’t need more than dimmable, soft white light.

The Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb is a better pick if you want your white lighting to suit various activities throughout the day. For instance, you might want a cool white light when working at your desk or cooking in the kitchen, while an amber, candlelit white light might be best when having guests over for dinner or as you’re reading a book in the evening. With the White Ambiance bulb, you have the advantage of being able to quickly set the mood in the app by picking a preset light scene such as Concentrate, Read, Energize, or Relax.

Overall, the Philips Hue White bulb is the more affordable option, especially if you’re buying several bulbs at once, and it’ll be enough to illuminate a lot of the spaces in your home. Nevertheless, the Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb gives you more flexibility with thousands of shades of natural white light, but you likely don’t need it in every single room.

Why Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is one of the most popular smart lighting brands around today and home to some of the best smart light bulbs. Though there are a lot of cheaper Philips Hue alternatives out there, Philips Hue is an easy choice for anyone who wants to get serious about smart lights and install high-quality, long-lasting, and energy-saving bulbs throughout their home.

Not only do these bulbs integrate well into existing smart home ecosystems like Samsung SmartThings or IFTTT, but you do have the choice of connecting your bulbs via Bluetooth or a Hue Bridge. Whichever route you take, all bulbs can be operated through the new and improved Philips Hue app as well as with voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa.

Our pick

Philips Hue White Smart Light

$45 at Amazon

Bulk deal

Set up your smart lighting with these four soft white Philips Hue White light bulbs that work with Alexa and Google Assistant.