Philips - Hue White A19 Smart LED Bulb (2-Pack) - White

The product information is incorrect. The description says "Control it instantly via Bluetooth in one room, or connect to a Hue bridge (sold separately)". This is incorrect, these bulbs are not bluetooth compatible. They can only be used as normal light bulbs unless you buy a dimmer switch or Hue bridge. See my attached photos below for the setup instructions and the photos of the base of the bulbs which due not include a Bluetooth logo (which the official Philips Hue Bluetooth app mentions is present on Bluetooth-capable bulbs). The Key Specs say "Dimmable", which is technically true if you have a Hue bridge (sold separately). What it does *not* mention is that bulbs say "DO NOT USE WITH DIMMERS" and the box says "Not suitable for use with dimmers unless specifically designed for Philips Hue." This is an important clarification that is mentioned on the back of the box which Best Buy has neglected to include in the photos of the product. I've included a photo of it below. The Specifications also neglect to mention that these bulbs are "Not for use in totally enclosed or recessed fixtures." I will grant that this is a common aspect of LED bulbs and it is frustratingly common for resellers like Best Buy to leave this important tidbit off. That being said, it is unacceptable not to inform people of this. Honestly, these bulbs are probably decent value for smart bulbs, but it is unacceptable to have incomplete and incorrect information about a product, ESPECIALLY information under the category "WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS" on the back of the box. How easy would it be just to at least include a picture of the back box on the product page? This would've saved me a ton of time and trouble.

Other reviews keep saying you need a hub to operate Alexa. We have used this same model number over the years without a hub. Screw the bulb into your lamp…go to your Alexa app & “Add device.” Next…Select Phillips from the list provided & pair the bulb. That’s it!! Literally only takes minutes to connect Alexa. We had two bulbs that died under the 3 year mark, so we are buying more to replace them. The bulbs have been great without any disconnecting issues.

I had some Philips Hue lights, but then tried to go to some of the other brands for cost savings reasons. But the headache in setting those other brands up and having multiple apps just became a burden. The Philips Hue app is super easy to use, The lights are super easy to set up on Hue Bridge and unlike those other lights and apps once they installed we have had NO problems at all. Two thumbs up. Wish they were cheaper but you can catch a sale from time to time.

I'll never forget when I first heard about light bulbs coming out and being wifi-connected, and thought "how stupid is that?!" Now I completely 'get' it! Thanks to these, I literally have a 'smart home' now! And I didn't have to hire private specialist contractors and pay thousands of dollars to do it! This particular model is a dim-able single-color ('white'), and it's less cost accordingly than it's multi-color sister model. I have about 15 of these all throughout my home, and the app makes it magic to set up and use! I am particularly picky about lighting--not because I'm some spoiled millionaire, but literally I've had a keen sense of lighting-ambiance, if you will, even in my twenties. The app allows you to--surprisingly simply--create customized presets consisting as many bulbs as you wish, and viola! "Hey Siri, switch lights to Movie Night!" and they all dim to the perfect settings. Oh, yes--and not only can you utilize the Philips Hue app to easily switch your scenes (presets), but these are also fully compatible with all well-known voice command/personal assistants and their respective home speakers! And--get this--these are one of the ONLY ones that are fully certified by Apple, and thus are HomeKit enabled. This just means that if you're an Apple iPhone user, you can use their very own "Home" app on any Apple device to manage all of your smart things, like these light bulbs. Also, they're LED, so they will last almost literally forever. So, the cost is SO worth it. I have approx 12-15 of these lights on at various dimmed levels all throughout the day, daily, and that energy cost yearly is literally dollars.

I love these light bulbs. This is the fifth pack of light bulbs to add on to my smart light collection in my home. So much fun to set up differnt "scenes".

A bit more orange than I expected (though that's on me and not the bulb). All my Philips hue bulbs always work great and are far easier to pair than other brands I've tried. A family member used another cheaper brand and it took 30 min- 1 hour to get paired. This took 5 min when they switched over. You get what you pay for!

Love Phillips Hue bulbs. I have multiple Phillips Hue bulbs in my home. I wish they were easier to set up. If you have them throughout the house it’ll take the better part of the day. In my opinion these bulbs are very overpriced.

I really like these older style bulbs. No Bluetooth but I prefer to use them with the hub anyway - it's more reliable. 2700K, which I prefer. Every once in a while they go on sale for $7.50 a bulb which is a great value. I've got lots of these bulbs that have been going strong for years with no issues. Only ones that have died have been used outside, which they are not even rated for.