Philips Hue’s new Bridge is coming – here are 5 things I'd love to see improve

If you’ve been keeping up with smart home news recently, you might have spotted that Philips Hue accidentally leaked four new products on its website last week. It was super exciting, finally confirming that the long-awaited Philips Hue Doorbell is on its way, along with a few new lighting options. However, the product that really caught my eye was a new and improved Philips Hue Bridge.

Philips Hue hasn’t really touched its Bridge in years, so the fact we’re getting a fresh version is huge. Rumoured to be called the Hue Bridge Pro, details are still limited, but it looks likely to launch at IFA 2025 in just a few weeks.

As a huge Hue fan, I’ve put together the top five things I’d love to see from this new launch.

1. Improved range

If you didn't know, the Hue Bridge uses the Zigbee wireless standard to control the best Philips Hue lights and accessories. Whilst Zigbee generally works well, larger homes or multi-floor setups can suffer from dead spots or dropped connections – especially if you’ve got thick walls or lots of interference from other devices.

Some users solve this with extra Zigbee repeaters or smart plugs, but it’d be amazing if the new bridge came with wider, more reliable coverage right out of the box.

2. Extended device limit

Right now, a standard Hue Bridge supports up to 50 lights and 12 accessories. That’s fine for most homes, but it can be frustrating for homeowners with larger setups. I find it particularly annoying, especially as each bridge needs its own spot on the Wi-Fi router.

I’d therefore love to see the new Bridge Pro support more lights and devices, making life simpler for heavy users like me.

3. Faster response time

Sometimes Hue lights feel a little slow, especially when activating multiple lights or complex scenes at once. Whether using the app or voice assistants, there can be a noticeable delay between pressing a button and the lights actually responding.

Improving this would make automations feel much more seamless, which is especially important as the smart lighting market gets more competitive.

4. Reduced dependence on the Bridge itself

This isn't very likely, but it'd be great to see more and more lights and accessories become less dependent on the Bridge itself.

Most Hue features – like advanced automations, multi-room control and remote access – require the Bridge to operate. Even though some bulbs have Bluetooth, you can’t fully enjoy the ecosystem without it.

I’d love to see more flexibility, letting users decide whether they want to use a Bridge for advanced features. It might not happen soon, but hey, it’s nice to dream.

5. New and improved design options

It's common knowledge that the Hue Bridge hasn’t changed much visually over the years. A sleeker design or additional colour options would be a nice touch for users who care about style as much as function.

The one image we’ve seen shows a black model with a sleeker middle section and more prominent branding, which already looks like a step in the right direction, so I'm excited to see what it'll actually look like.