Philips Hue officially reveals its latest smart home lineup – here’s what’s coming

Philips Hue has officially lifted the curtain on its latest launches and updates, and now that the event has wrapped, we can finally share exactly what’s on the way.

The showcase took place last night, and whilst much of what was announced lined up with the major leak from a few weeks back (something the presenters hinted was a slight headache for them), it didn’t dull the excitement.

In fact, this was Philips Hue’s biggest launch in the brand’s history, introducing a huge variety of products and features that cater to both seasoned smart home enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Let’s dive in.

1. Philips Hue Pro

First up is the highly anticipated Hue Bridge Pro, and it looks like the expectations were pretty spot on. It sets new standards for performance, speed and control, and I was also glad to see that most of the top five things I’d hoped for actually made it in.

The new Bridge Pro can now handle three times as many devices on a single network, supporting up to 150 lights and 50 accessories. It’s powered by the new Hue Chip Pro too, which has 15 times more memory and can store up to 500 unique scenes. One of the most exciting additions is a feature called Motion Aware, which cleverly turns your existing Hue lights into motion sensors.

On top of that, the Bridge Pro is designed to be more flexible in where you can place it, and there’ll be an app feature that lets you transfer all your devices and settings from the older Bridge with just a few clicks. Priced at $89.99/£89.99/€89.99, it’ll be available in Europe and North America later this month.

2. New strip light portfolio

Up next is probably the most surprising announcement of the night, but Philips Hue confirmed it was releasing an entirely new range of strip lights. There are seven products in total, covering both indoor and outdoor options with different brightness levels.

One highlight is the new Philips Hue Omniglow Strip Light, which uses Omniglow technology to create beautifully smooth colour gradients. It gives out 900 lumens per metre and up to 4,500 lumens in total, so it works just as well for functional lighting as it does for adding atmosphere.

To go with them, Hue is also releasing new accessories, including connectors and blackout cables to give users more flexibility. Alongside these, Hue also confirmed the launch of the Festavia Globe string lights and Festavia permanent outdoor lights that leaked a couple of weeks ago.

3. Hue Essential range

Another big addition is the new Hue Essential range. This one’s designed for people who might feel a bit intimidated by the smart home space, making it simpler and more affordable to get started.

The Essentials will include bulbs, strips and starter kits that don’t require a Bridge – or even Matter support – to work. Each product will run on the same software as Hue’s premium products, just with scaled-back performance and light quality. It’s a clever move to make Hue more accessible, and whilst it won’t match the premium line, I think this new range could be a hit.

4. Video doorbell and Chime

Now, this is the one I’d been holding my breath for, but the Hue Secure video doorbell is finally here. It features a 2K camera with a head-to-toe view, can automatically trigger Hue lights as a deterrent, and supports two-way talk. There's also a chime which adds the obvious sound alert, but can also trigger a siren if needed.

On top of that, Hue confirmed that in just a few months, all Secure cameras users will get 24 hours of video history for free. That’s a bold move in an industry where most competitors are doing the opposite.

The doorbell is priced at $169.99/£169.99/€169.99, whilst the chime will cost $59.99/£59.99/€59.99.

5. Sonos collaboration

Finally, Philips Hue announced a new collaboration with Sonos, aiming to create a seamless smart home experience by combining light and sound. This will allow Sonos voice control users to manage their Hue lights alongside their music.

It’s still early days so details are scarce, but it’s an exciting direction. With Sonos recently ending its partnership with IKEA, it makes sense that Hue – with its big focus on entertainment – would be the next natural choice.

Finally...what's going on with the Matter update?

Hue also confirmed that the rumours were true in the Q&A, meaning more Matter support is on the way, allowing users to run Hue lights without a Bridge.

However, the presenters also clarified that the Hue Bridge Pro won’t support Thread, and the whole ecosystem won’t be fully moving to Matter anytime soon. Still, it’s a step in the right direction for smart home integration, and it’s good to see things progressing.