Sensible lighting firm Hue has launched a brand new model of its Smart Button, one of many easiest methods of controlling Hue’s colourful good lights. The brand new Sensible Button has an even bigger design and a little bit of worth hike — within the U.S., not less than, the place it now prices $32.99 in comparison with $29.99 for its predecessor. That’s considerably greater than the UK and EU pricing for the brand new button — £19.99 and €21.99 respectively — probably an indication of issues to come back.
A Zigbee machine, the Hue button could be programmed to regulate any single or group of Hue gentle bulbs and fixtures by the Hue app. In keeping with Philips Hue’s web site, the button “permits you to set off scenes primarily based on time of day, or cycle by a range. Press and maintain to dim and brighten your lights, and even set it to start out an automation.” This is similar performance because the prior mannequin, which means all that seems to have modified is the design and the value.
The brand new button is nearly twice the scale, with a 45mm diameter (about 1.8 inches) versus 32mm (about 1.3 inches). It’s now extra angular and flatter, versus the extra bulbous type of the prior mannequin. It additionally doesn’t include a big plastic wall plate that resembles a regular gentle change – helpful for people who find themselves used to utilizing common switches. As an alternative, it solely comes with a small metallic plate to magnetically connect the button to the wall, in response to HueBlog’s hands-on with the button.
The Hue button makes use of the identical CR2032 battery, which, in response to Hue, ought to final for 2 years. HueBlog known as out the battery for being so much simpler to exchange on this new button than on the earlier one.
I reviewed the first generation of the button when it launched in 2019 for $24.99, and it’s lengthy been certainly one of my favourite straightforward methods to regulate Hue lights. An update in 2023 added extra management choices, together with the flexibility to cycle by Hue’s pure gentle scenes primarily based on time of day, so you would get the correct sort of tunable white gentle for the time of day with only one press.
I like the thought of a barely bigger design, which may very well be simpler to make use of, however the truth that it’s costlier within the States than within the EU and UK is a worrying signal.
Hue is already one of the costly good lighting manufacturers, and primarily based on an email the company sent to customers earlier this month, it might be getting much more costly — not less than for these of us on this facet of the pond. In keeping with the promotional message I received on June ninth, Hue’s “costs go up on July 1.”
The notice concerning the worth enhance seems to have only been sent to US customers, indicating the rise could also be on account of Trump’s tariffs. We’ve reached out to Signify (Philips Hue’s father or mother firm) to substantiate and to seek out out which merchandise shall be affected.