'Get enough of these and you could probably throw your own rave' the 3 best smart light bulbs, recommended by a home tech editor

Date:
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Description:
Upgrading to smart lighting costs less than you might expect, whether it's a single room or your whole home.

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It's hard to overstate the usefulness of smart lights, and once you have one at home, you'll start to see dozens of different ways to use it from simply creating a schedule to changing the light temperature to suit the time of
day, or even making it blink when someone presses your doorbell.

Smart lights don't have to be expensive either. Sure, outfitting your whole home with top-end Philips Hue color bulbs would be an expensive endeavor, but that's not your only option. There are (literally) brilliant bulbs from other brands that offer impressive features and quality for much less cash, and
even Philips has a collection of lights at an entry-level price these days. Below you'll find the top three smart light bulbs I recommend for your home. I've opted for Hue Essentials in my own apartment, but I'd happily fit either of the other options as well particularly if I was in a party mood. You may like The best smart lights 2026: light up your life with smart bulbs and
lamps I test smart lights for a living, and these are my top 3 Philips Hue smart lights to brighten up any space I love the new Philips Hue Essential smart bulbs, but how do the new Lifx Everyday lights compare? Best cverall Philips Hue Essential Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Philips Hue is the biggest name in smart lighting, and has sat at the top of our roundup of the best smart light systems for years, but it's always had one significant drawback: it's expensive. That's where Philips Hue Essential comes in.

Hue Essential, which launched last year, is a more affordable alternative to the standard Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance series, with fewer bulb options and a much lower price tag. You don't get to pick from such a huge array of sizes and styles (at launch, there were only three bulbs and a light strip available), but during my tests, I was thoroughly impressed by how well they performed compared to their full-price counterparts.

Like regular Hue bulbs, Hue Essential lights can be controlled individually via Bluetooth, or through the Philips Hue app. Using the app unlocks a lot more features, including the ability to assign a set of bulbs to a particular room or area and control them together, create automations, apply Scenes (themed color palettes) and link them to other devices such as sensors and switches.

The more advanced features also require a Philips Hue Bridge, which is an extra expense you'll need to consider when budgeting for your new smart lighting system, but it's worthwhile if you're adding them to more than one room, particularly since it also allows you to connect your lights to virtually any smart home ecosystem. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals,
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Colors are bright and bold, and in my tests, the Hue Essential bulb proved just as responsive as a White & Color Ambiance bulb costing twice as much.
The two bulbs use different color technologies. meaning the more expensive bulb offers a wider palette, but in everyday use, you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

The only real downside of choosing Hue Essential bulbs is that they can't be dimmed quite as low as regular Hue bulbs. That won't matter for most situations, but if you want to use your smart lights to wake you gently in
the morning, or for subtle lighting in your home theater, the more expensive bulbs may be the better option.

For everything else, though, Hue Essential bulbs offer a staggering array of features, excellent quality, a well-designed app, and the most extensive compatibility of any smart lights you can buy today. What to read next Are smart string lights for you? Here are my top tips to help you decide The best smart switch 2026: buttons and dimmers for all your smart home devices
Philips Hue Essential lights are spectacular value, but the originals
outshine them in one key way

Read our full Philips Hue Essential review Today's best Philips Hue
Essential Smart Bulb deals 19.99 View 19.99 View deal 19.99 View We check
over 250 million products every day for the best prices Party lighting GE
Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: James Holland) (Image credit: James Holland) (Image credit: James Holland) (Image credit: James Holland) (Image credit: James Holland) Philips Hue Essential lights are excellent, but GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects bulbs offer something Hue
ones don't: the ability to assign multiple colors to a single bulb so you can set the mood with just one light. Better yet, these party-ready smart lights can shift their multiple colors in response to music without the need for extra sensors and accessories. It's a party on your ceiling, and everyone's invited.

"The dynamic effects available here are a treat, especially the ones that respond to audio, and set it apart from the competition," said our reviewer, James Holland. "Get enough of these, and you could probably throw your own rave."

These bulbs link directly to Wi-Fi, so unlike Philips Hue lights (which use the Zigbee wireless protocol), there's no need for a hub to use all their features. If you're planning to equip your whole house with smart lights,
then a Zigbee mesh network makes more sense (each light effectively acts as a repeater, giving more range), but if you just want fun lighting for one or
two rooms, Wi-Fi will be fine.

During testing, we found GE's bulbs refreshingly simple to connect, and the accompanying Cync app is much better designed than many others we've tried over the years.

"The GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects bulb might be a little spendy compared to other models, but its connectivity is rock solid," said James. "In fact, the closest Ive had to any issue is a second or two of lag when turning off through the app, but thats only if the lights been on for a while."

Want to take the party further? There are also Dynamic effects wall light panels, LED strips, and string lights so you can design a setup to suit your room. These bulbs aren't widely available outside the US though, so if you want to have fun with smart lighting elsewhere, scroll on for my next recommendation.

Read our full GE Cync Lighting Dynamic Effects review Today's best GE Cync Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb deals No price information Check Amazon We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Budget Nanoleaf
Matter Essentials Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Nanoleaf has carved a niche for itself in smart lighting for gamers. If you want an illuminated pegboard to hold your headphones and controllers, flexible rope lights that sync with the on-screen action, or stackable light-up storage cubes to show off your collectibles, Nanoleaf has you covered.

It does have a more sensible side, though, including some excellent smart light bulbs that are particularly bright and bold, and are great paired with Nanoleaf's decorative lighting or used alone.

As you can tell from the name, these particular bulbs are Matter-compatible, meaning you can use them as part of a mix-and-match smart home comprising devices from different brands a significant advantage over many similarly-priced smart bulbs.

We experienced a few connectivity hiccups during setup, but once we got our Nanoleaf bulbs set up, we were very impressed. We particularly liked the way you can easily sync your Nanoleaf bulbs with what's happening on your screen, and the Circadian Lighting feature, which changes the color temperature and brightness throughout the day to help you feel energized when it's time to work, and wind down in the evening. Creating custom color scenes is a breeze, too (and you can even share them with other Nanoleaf users if you're feeling generous).

Like the Hue Essential series, Nanoleaf's budget bulbs don't give you a huge range of shapes and styles to choose from there's a screw fitting, bayonet fitting, spotlight for recessed ceiling lights, and that's it but the fact that you can use them with any major smart home platform opens up a world of options if you want to extend your smart lighting further.

Read our full Nanoleaf Matter Essentials review Today's best Nanoleaf Matter Essentials Smart Bulb deals 13.29 View 16.99 View No price information Check Amazon Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to
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And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. The best smart lights for every room Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best smart lights 1. Best overall: Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance 2. Best budget: Govee Wi-Fi LED Bulb 3. Best for parties: Govee Curtain Lights 4. Best for bedtime: Philips Hue Twilight



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