Hue’s new smart button is larger and more expensive

Smart Lighting Company Hue has published a new version of sound Intelligent buttonOne of the simplest ways to control the colorful intelligent lights of Hue. The new intelligent button has a greater design and a little price increase – in the United States, at least, where it now costs $ 32.99 compared to $ 29.99 for its predecessor. It is much more than the price of the United Kingdom and the EU for the new button – £ 19.99 and € 21.99 respectively – perhaps a sign of things to come.

A zigbee device, the Hue button can be programmed to control a single or a group of Hue bulbs and lighting via the Hue application. According to the Philips Hue website, the “allows you to trigger scenes depending on the time of the day, or to browse a selection.” Press and keep to DIM and brighten up your lights, or even define it to start automation. ” It is the same functionality as the previous model, which means that everything that seems to have changed is design and price.

The new button measures almost twice as much, with a diameter of 45 mm (approximately 1.8 inches) against 32 mm (about 1.3 inches). It is now more angular and flatter, compared to the more bulbous style of the previous model. Nor does it come with a large plastic wall plate that looks like a standard lighting switch – at hand for people used to using regular switches. Instead, it is only delivered with a small metal plate to magnetically fix the button to the wall, according to Hueblog Practical with the button.

The Hue button uses the same CR2032 battery which, according to Hue, is expected to last two years. Blog called the battery to be much easier to replace this new button than on the previous one.

I reviewed the First generation of the button When launched in 2019 for $ 24.99, and it has long been one of my easy ways to control the lights of the shade. A Update in 2023 Adding more control options, including the possibility of cycling through Hue’s natural light scenes depending on the time of day, so that you can get the right type of white light tunable for the time of the day with a single press.

I like the idea of ​​a slightly larger design, which could be easier to use, but the fact that it is more expensive in the United States than in the EU and the United Kingdom is a worrying sign.

Hue is already one of the most expensive intelligent lighting brands, and based on an email that the company sent For users at the beginning of the month, it can become even more expensive – at least for those of us on this side of the pond. According to the promotional message I received on June 9, the “Hue Price increases on July 1”.

The note on the increase in prices seems to have was sent to American customersindicating that the increase may be due to Trump prices. We contacted to signify (the parent company of Philips Hue) to confirm and know which products will be affected.