Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Smart SpotLight Twin Pack LED [GU10 Spot] with Bluetooth, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.

I've waited a long time for these bulbs to be released. I waited a while until I actually needed them since they aren't cheap by any means. I use these bulbs in 3 downlighter sockets illuminating a painting (and wall) above my bed. As many people are aware, when they bulbs were originally released, they were extra large (long) due to the technology having to be crammed into a small bulb. This is the same reason why we are still waiting for 'golf ball' bulb Hues I imagine!As my pictures show (and others), the difference between the sizes of the bulbs (old and new) is significant. This means that they sit flush in most fittings (when pointed down rather than tilted) as opposed to protruding outwards. They look is so much better, though admittedly they are more difficult to fit given that there's less to hold onto!For those new to these bulbs, or Hue in general, the price is high but you're paying for quality and the bulbs last years. I still have two of the old ones installed so there's 2 protruding and 1 flush. I would rid of them just for the aesthetic. Focusing on the new; they are quite heavy, well built bulbs - a far cry from the light, filament bulbs.The range of colours is vast. if you can imagine a colour, with a bit of tinkering on the Hue app, you can get it. What's more you can set and save scenes once you've found colours (or mixes of) to your liking. The bulbs are immediately detected via the Hue App and if you are using Alexa devices, you can easily add a the bulbs via there quickly and easily to be able to control via voice and / or routines. Mine turn on automatically in the evening and dim during a 'Movie' routine.Great to finally get these. I've got one spare when the next one goes and eventually, I'll have them all flush with my fittings. Hue bulbs can transform a home and set uplifting moods and aesthetics. These bulbs are no exception.

Although our house is very much a “smart” home, I was relatively late to the smart bulb party but I was an immediate convert though.Over the last year I have slowly been changing as many of the bulbs in the house that I can with Philips Hue bulbs. Hue bulbs are usually available in three flavours. White, White Ambience and Colour. The White bulbs are basically just a dimmable bulb, the White Ambience adds a huge range of temperature to your light which can really alter the mood of the room. The Colour bulbs have everything that the White Ambience have, but an almost infinite variation of colours. I do see the Colours more of a gimmick that you’ll rarely use, but if you get creative there are some funky things you can do with them. They’ve also improved with the latest generation so if you do buy a Colour bulb do make sure it’s the latest ones (the ones with Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi) as they have a greater range of colours and fit into a standard GU10 bulb holder whereas the older ones don’t.They’re much more expensive though, so I’d generally recommend the Philips Hue White Ambiance bulbs as they give the best combination of lighting options against cost. If your budget stretches though, you can have some fun with the Colour bulbs.Currently I have 11 White Ambiance GU10s and 3 Colour GU10s, 4 White Ambiance B22s and 1 Colour B22, 4 E27 bulbs and 6 E14 bulbs dotted around the house and have space for several more in the coming months. The elephant in the room with these bulbs is the cost. There’s no getting away from the fact that they are expensive, even if you manage to pick them up on a Lightning Deal. That said, you’re paying for much more than a way of lighting your room. Smart homes are only limited by your imagination, and you can implement some pretty funky routines through the Alexa app if you’re brave enough to delve deeply. Beyond the Hue bulbs I have 12 TP Link smart sockets controlling things like the lights on my two fish tanks, I have 7 Echo dots, 2 Sonos Ones, a Logitech Harmony, Nest thermostat and two Nest smoke detectors. My Denon amp is connected by its HEOS app, and I have a couple of LG TVs with Alexa built in plus another with a Fire HD stick. Five internal IP cameras and 8 external cameras plus my recent addition of a Ring door camera. If thought through, all of these can be interlinked. For example, should the smoke detectors or doorbell go off, I can have the Hue light bulbs dim or light up. If a motion sensor is tripped on one of the IP cameras, I can have the Hue bulbs in the patio lights come on.Additionally, even without working with other smart devices, the Philips Hue bulbs offer plenty of things on their own. The ability to gradually lower the light as the night goes on, and likewise gradually bring the light up as your morning routine begins. You can have lights come on as the daylight begins to fade, and set them to many different shades to suit your mood such as reading or night light, through Savanna sunset and white brilliance.Your options are many and varied, and if you can look past the initial set-up costs, they can hugely enhance your home.

This is my first smart bulb purchase, and I am pleased to have gone for it. Overall good purchase.Pros:- Easy to set up- connect your bulb to either a hub/bridge (which connects to your home network and allows you communicate with your smart bulb) or an Amazon echo device for voice control. Once I got my bulbs in the fixtures, my Alexa app automatically discovered the bulbs providing the ability to control the bulbs from the app or my Amazon echo (my Amazon echo was already connected to my home network and set up in the app). Once connected, assign the bulbs to rooms so Alexa knows which bulb to turn on or off when asked. This was easy to do!- Good integration with all of the major voice assistants (Google, Alexa etc.)- excellent feature which helps reduce cost as you don’t have to purchase the hub.Cons:- A bit pricey. The bulbs are (as expected) more expensive than standard /regular bulbs and even more so if you pair them with the hub, switch etc.- Still requires the bulbs turned on at the wall if you want to be able to control them remotely. If it is turned off at the wall, the bulbs can’t receive wireless signals. Verdict- The Philips hue is a little more expensive than standard/regular bulbs, but if you want to make your existing bulbs smart without messing with the wiring in the house, then you may wish to take a look at the Philips hue with its wide range of smart bulbs.If my review has helped you in any way, I would appreciate if you click the ‘Helpful’ button below. Thanks for reading.