Philips Hue bulbs go bridge-less with new Bluetooth lights

New Philips Hue bulbs are being introduced to work without the previously essential bridge, making smart lighting easier to control for new consumers.

Philips Hue Bluetooth bulb types so far include the traditional A19 lightbulbs and the BR30 downlight bulbs in the US starting today, and the new bridge-less tech applies to the three variants: White, White Ambiance, and White and Color Ambiance.

Signify is doing this to ease new users into its brand of smart lights – and it's catching up to its competitors that offer bulbs without a bridge, too.

The Bluetooth Hue bulbs only require being screwed in and pairing with the Hue app. Additional features, like away-from-home access, can still be had when you add a bridge at any time.

The best part is that the Bluetooth-controlled Hue bulbs price isn't increasing over their bridge-required versions. The dimmable White bulbs cost $14.99, the custom-white-shaded White Ambiance bulbs cost $24.99, and the millions of colors-filled White and Color Ambiance costs $49.99. Pricing in other regions is not yet available.

These are just the first Bluetooth-enabled Philips Hue bulbs, with Signify saying that more of its products will be getting the bridge-less treatment in 2020.

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