Philips Hue sets its sights on your bedside table. Sure, many of us use smart bulbs or light strips that glow warmly at the end of the day or perhaps in blue and purple tones to wind down for a good night’s sleep.
Still, Philips Hue is giving us another option with the $279.99 Twilight Lamp, and it can now be ordered directly from the brand. It is a modern-looking lamp with two built-in LED sources: one at the top in the form of a laterally adjustable lampshade and the other at the back.
Its main appeal is to mimic a sunrise or sunset in your bedroom, and it can glow extra bright or super dark thanks to the brand’s “ColorCast” technology. With two light sources you can create a warm glow at the front and paint the wall with a sunrise or sunset at the back. Of course, it can also function as a standard lamp and be customized via the Philips Hue app.
Perhaps the most important are the built-in buttons of the lamp. A special button on the top allows you to activate sleep automation with one touch, so you get a better night’s sleep.
Like any other Philips Hue bulb or lamp, the Twilight bulb can be integrated with a voice assistant or other smart home ecosystem such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Samsung SmartThings… just make sure you have a have a bridge.
The main advantage of purchasing a Twilight bulb over a standard Hue bulb and putting it in a lamp is the dual light sources and presets for creating a sunrise or sunset routine. With the latter, you can press the button on the top of the Twilight and watch as the light glows warmly and eventually turns off, effectively entering a sleep mode.
You can also use the top light and move it left or right, with a base shade of white to help with reading, and also have the backlight paint the wall with color or a timelapse-like tint of hues.
As for the design of the Twilight lamp, Philips Hue offers it in black or white with a cork base at the bottom. It also comes with a color-matched power cable.
This new lamp joins a full range that includes the Hue Go Table Lamp, Iris Table Lamp and Go Portable Accent Lighting. The Twilight is built a little more purposefully and is, however, combined with these ready-made modes.
Philips Hue isn’t the first to release a sunrise or sunset light, as there are numerous options on the market – including some that support audio playback and double as a white noise or sound machine like the Hatch Restore 2 or a Loftie.
But if you’re already in the Philips Hue ecosystem and have been waiting for a bulb that looks great, performs well, and can sync with other smart bulbs, Twilight becomes an excellent, if pricey, option.
If you’re already sold, Philips Hue is now taking orders for the Twilight sleep and wake lamp in black or white, both for $279.99.
In addition to this new bulb, Philips Hue is also introducing a new Solo light strip in three sizes – 10 feet, 16 feet and 33 feet – with a starting price of $69.99. You will also find some new lamp packages and a new ceiling lamp, the Datura, which has two sources.