Sensible lighting firm Hue has launched a brand new model of its Sensible Button, one of many easiest methods of controlling Hue’s colourful sensible lights. The brand new Sensible Button has an even bigger design and a little bit of value hike — within the U.S., at the very least, 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 return.
A Zigbee gadget, the Hue button may be programmed to regulate any single or group of Hue gentle bulbs and fixtures by means of the Hue app. In accordance with Philips Hue’s web site, the button “lets you set off scenes based mostly on time of day, or cycle by means of 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 worth.
The brand new button is nearly twice the dimensions, 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 fashion of the prior mannequin. It additionally doesn’t include a big plastic wall plate that resembles a regular gentle change – useful for people who find themselves used to utilizing common switches. As an alternative, it solely comes with a small steel plate to magnetically connect the button to the wall, in keeping with HueBlog’s hands-on with the button.
The Hue button makes use of the identical CR2032 battery, which, in keeping with Hue, ought to final for 2 years. HueBlog referred to as out the battery for being loads simpler to interchange on this new button than on the earlier one.
I reviewed the primary technology of the button when it launched in 2019 for $24.99, and it’s lengthy been certainly one of my favourite simple methods to regulate Hue lights. An replace in 2023 added extra management choices, together with the power to cycle by means of Hue’s pure gentle scenes based mostly on time of day, so you could possibly get the suitable 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 probably the most costly sensible lighting manufacturers, and based mostly on an e mail the corporate despatched to customers earlier this month, it might be getting much more costly — at the very least for these of us on this aspect of the pond. In accordance with the promotional message I acquired on June ninth, Hue’s “costs go up on July 1.”
The be aware concerning the value enhance seems to have solely been despatched to US clients, indicating the rise could also be on account of Trump’s tariffs. We’ve reached out to Signify (Philips Hue’s dad or mum firm) to substantiate and to search out out which merchandise shall be affected.
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