Phillips Hue Light Strip Review: Add a Splash of Color Anywhere
As someone who loves interior design and smart home tech, I‘m always on the lookout for products that blend form and function. One of my favorite discoveries in recent years has been the Phillips Hue line of smart LED light strips. These versatile, app-controlled lights allow you to instantly transform any space with vibrant color and ambiance.
Whether you want to add cozy under-cabinet kitchen lighting, create immersive bias lighting for your TV, or give your backyard a fun party vibe, Hue has a light strip that can do the job. I‘ve tested out several varieties in my own home, and in this in-depth review, I‘ll share what makes these lights truly shine.
What Are Hue Light Strips?
First, let‘s cover the basics. Phillips Hue light strips are thin, flexible strips of LED lights that you can stick to virtually any surface using the included adhesive tape. They plug into a standard outlet and connect to your home‘s WiFi network, allowing you to control them with the Hue app on your smartphone or tablet.
The light strips come in several sizes ranging from 2 to 6 feet long, with extension strips available if you need more length. You can trim them at marked points to fit your space perfectly. Once installed, you can use the app to choose any color from the RGB spectrum, set schedules, and sync your lights with music, movies, and games for an immersive experience.
Types of Hue Light Strips
There are a few main varieties of Hue light strips to choose from depending on your needs:
Hue Lightstrip Plus – These strips produce bright white light in addition to 16 million colors. They‘re ideal for accent lighting under counters, cabinets, and shelves.
Hue Lightstrip Plus Outdoor – A rugged, weather-resistant version of the Lightstrip Plus that can withstand rain and snow. Great for pathways, decks, patios, and other outdoor spaces.
Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip – Designed to mount on the back of your TV (up to 75"), these react to on-screen content in real time to extend the picture off the screen.
Hue Lightstrip Outdoor – Designed for permanent outdoor installation, this super-long 197" strip is great for illuminating house exteriors, fences, and landscaping.
Key Features and Specs
Hue light strips offer an impressive set of specifications and capabilities for their size:
Colors: 16 million RGB color options plus tunable white (2000-6500K)
Lumens: 1600lm (Lightstrip Plus), 1100lm (Outdoor)
Wattage: 20.5W (Lightstrip Plus 6ft)
Lifespan: 25,000 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth and Zigbee (requires Hue Bridge for full features)
App compatibility: iOS and Android
Voice Control: Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit
Warranty: 2 years
The standout spec here is the color range. With 16 million options, you can create any ambiance or vibe you want. The lights are plenty bright too – a single 6ft strip can output 1600 lumens, equivalent to a 100W incandescent bulb.
One thing to note is that while the lights have Bluetooth built in for easy setup, you‘ll need the Hue Bridge ($60) plugged into your router to unlock the full set of smart features. This allows your lights to work together with other Hue bulbs and accessories in your home.
Setup and Installation
Getting started with Hue light strips is a breeze. Inside the box, you‘ll find:
The light strip
Power supply
User manual
Adhesive tape/clips
Alcohol wipe for cleaning surfaces
After unboxing, simply clean the surface where you want to mount the strip, stick the tape to the back and press it firmly in place. Plug in the power supply, download the Hue Bluetooth app and follow the prompts to add your new light. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.
If you already have other Hue lights set up with the Hue Bridge, you can use the Hue app instead of Hue Bluetooth for setup. This provides more customization options and the ability to include your strips in scenes with your other lights.
Overall, the setup was straightforward and intuitive. The adhesive is strong and has held up well over time without peeling or falling off.
Customization and Control
One of the best parts about Hue lights is how much you can personalize the experience to suit your preferences. In the Hue app, you can:
Choose a color or white shade from the color picker
Select from professionally-designed scenes (Tropical Twilight, Savanna Sunset, etc.)
Use a photo to extract a color palette
Create custom scenes and animations
Set schedules for your lights to turn on/off automatically
Enable geofencing to trigger lights when you arrive home
Sync lights with movies, music, and games
The level of control is really impressive and fun to experiment with. I love being able to match my lights to my mood or activity with a tap.
During the day, I often keep my strips set to a bright, energizing white for productivity. In the evenings, I‘ll switch to a warm, relaxing tone while I wind down. And of course, for parties and special occasions, I go all out with fun animated color loops!
I do wish the Hue app offered a bit more guidance and inspiration for creating your own scenes and routines. There is a bit of a learning curve to figure out all of the features. But once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.
Performance
So how do Hue light strips perform in real-world use? In a word – spectacularly! The LEDs are bright, vivid, and evenly distributed with no noticeable hotspots or flickering.
Colors look amazing, especially blue, green, and purple tones which cheaper RGBW strips often struggle with. Reds are deep and saturated without looking washed out.
The diffuse coating provides a soft, pleasant glow rather than the typical dots you see with non-diffused strips. Even the white tones are beautiful, ranging from crisp and cool to warm and candle-like.
Transitions between colors are smooth and fluid, making for eye-catching animations. I especially love the built-in Starry Night scene, which gently pulses blues and purples for a dreamy effect.
I was also impressed with how well the Gradient strip synced with content from my TV. The colors matched what was on screen surprisingly accurately and made action scenes and music videos feel larger than life. It‘s a really fun effect, especially for gaming.
My only minor gripe is that the adhesive can be finicky on textured surfaces. The outdoor strip slipped a bit on my stucco wall, though I was able to secure it better with the included clips. Just something to keep in mind for trickier installs.
Design and Durability
A lot of thought clearly went into the design of the Hue light strips. The flexible silicone housing feels sturdy and durable, with a nice premium heft to it. It‘s rated to withstand temperatures from -4°F to 113°F, making it suitable for use in a wide range of environments.
The Lightstrip Plus has an IP20 rating, meaning it can withstand some splashing but isn‘t fully waterproof. The Outdoor strip has an IP67 rating, so it‘s fully dustproof and can be immersed in water up to 1m deep for 30 minutes.
Even with daily use, my strips still look great after a year. I haven‘t noticed any fraying, cracking, or discoloration in the housing or LEDs.
I really appreciate small touches like the inclusion of a physical on/off switch on the power supply. This makes it easy to quickly shut off the lights without having to walk over to a wall switch or open the app. It‘s also nice that there are markings on the strip every few inches showing where you can safely cut to size.
Price and Value
There‘s no denying that Hue light strips are pricey compared to generic LED strips on Amazon. A 6ft base strip plus a 3ft extension will run you around $90-100.
In my opinion though, you‘re getting a lot for your money. The build quality, feature set, and smart home integration are top notch. Cheap strips may look fine at first, but in my experience they tend to have unreliable colors, shorter lifespans, and clunky control interfaces.
I see Hue strips as more of an investment in a flexible lighting solution I can customize endlessly and move around my house as needed. If you‘re someone who likes to change up your decor often, these will serve you well for years to come.
Customer Ratings and Reviews
Hue light strips have earned rave reviews from customers online. On the Phillips website, the Hue Lightstrip Plus base strip has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars across over 1,000 reviews.
Here are some highlights:
"I absolutely love my Hue light strips! They were super easy to install under my kitchen cabinets and really elevate the look of my space. The app makes it so fun to experiment with different colors and scenes." – Sarah L.
"The TV sync feature is a game-changer for movies and gaming. It makes my living room feel like a high-end home theater." – Mike R.
"I was hesitant to splurge on these compared to cheaper strips, but I‘m so glad I did. The colors are so much more vibrant and really pop. Well worth the price." – Jenna S.
The main complaint seems to be around the price, which is understandable. A few people had issues with the Hue app crashing, but the company is usually quick to resolve major software bugs.
How Do Hue Strips Compare to Competitors?
Hue light strips are a premium option in the world of smart LED strips. The main alternatives I‘ve seen mentioned are:
LIFX Z Strip – These offer similar features as Hue, but don‘t require a separate bridge for control. They‘re a bit cheaper too at around $70 for a 6ft strip. However, the LIFX app is more limited than Hue‘s.
Govee Immersion TV Backlights – A budget option for TV bias lighting with a camera that mounts on top of your TV to match colors on screen. They work pretty well, but don‘t support smart home integration. About $80 for a 55-65" TV kit.
Nanoleaf Lines – Not a light strip per se, but modular LED bars you can arrange in geometric designs. They offer some unique effects Hue can‘t match, but are very expensive ($200 for a 9-pack starter kit).
Overall, I think Hue offers the best balance of performance, customization, and smart home features. LIFX is a solid alternative if you want something a bit cheaper and don‘t need the Hue ecosystem integration.
Bottom Line: Are Hue Light Strips Worth It?
After living with Hue light strips in my home for a while, I can confidently say that they are 100% worth the investment for anyone who wants to add beautiful, dynamic lighting to their space.
The build quality is excellent, the app is powerful and easy to use, and the integrations with gaming, music, and movies are so much fun to play with. I love being able to instantly change the mood in any room with just a few taps.
Yes, they are expensive. But for the endless customization options and rock-solid reliability, I think they‘re one of the best smart home upgrades you can make. Once you start dreaming in 16 million colors, you‘ll never want to go back to boring static lighting again.
