Philips Hue White Ambiance Vs Color Ambiance Bulbs

If you are new to Hue and looking at buying a starter kit then you can either get one that has white or color bulbs, all starter kits come with the bridge that is needed to use them.

Philips Hue Color vs White Ambiance bulbs

A common concern with the color bulbs and questions that come with them, aren’t they a bit tacky? Do you actually use them? When would I use them? Is it worth the extra money?

So in this article I want to look at the two bulbs and how they could be used, ways that you may not have thought you could use them and how you could benefit from the color bulbs too.

The Differences

First off what are the differences, well on a physical note they are almost identical, the only difference is some small wording on the bulbs themselves stating their model number and that one is white only. When in use the white ambiance bulbs are just that, a white light that can be adjusted to be warmer or cooler, the color bulbs do just that and as you can portably guess, also have the full color spectrum to use too.

At maximum brightness both bulbs will light up to 800 lumens, they both have a life span of 25,000 hours, and they can all be controlled in the same way through the bridge using your smart phone.

The Uses

Now this is where it can get fun and also some clever uses for the bulbs too.

Philips Hue White Ambiance – First off the white ambient bulbs can be used just like your current bulbs are now, switch your living room light with the bulb and you can dim it and control it via your phone, turn it on or off when you are out, a simple change allows you to adjust the light from your phone.

However that is all really, and maybe that is all you need and want to do, however what about the color bulbs, what could you do with these that you may not have thought about?

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance – So with these bulbs you can create a fun movie night setting the mood for that scary horror, use the bulbs with an app like Hue Disco and you can turn your home into a party house with the lights changing to the beat of the music. Ideal for kids parties or using them for halloween or Christmas to create fun light effects.

These are a few fun ways to use them however you may not use them every day, so what about some more practical features. Sunrise and sunset lighting effects can help you sleep and wake in the morning, setting your bedroom lights to dim down from a dark red cresting a sunset and then turning off will help you nod off and can be used with kids to help them sleep, as as well as adults too.

Just like the sunset you can use them to light up and room like a sunrise, set your alarm at 7am and have the lights on full brightness when your alarm sounds, the light as it brightens will help wake the body ready so when your alarm goes off you are already felling more awake.

Set your bulbs at night to be a dark red color so that if you get up in the night to go to the toilet or get a glass of water, you can see where you are going without having to turn a bright white light on which will wake you up.

Which to Buy?

There is no right or wrong on which to buy, and there is no winner, it comes down to how you will use the bulbs and cost, the white bulbs are cheaper however the color bulbs gives you more options in terms of uses and apps that can be used. You may buy the white bulb starter kit and get the Hue ‘bug’ and be buying light strips and coloured bulbs.

The key is to think how you may use them, would you use them with the hue Disco app, would you adjust your lights when watching a movie or do you just turn them off, would you use them to wake up in the morning, if you have children would it help them sleep or make it a bit more fun to get them to bed or reading a bedtime story.

Mike Ford

Founder & Editor

Mike is the founder of Hue Home Lighting, a huge Hue fan with far too many lights, covering home and garden. A smart home gadget addict and also enjoys the odd bit of DIY