Tech

Philips Hue Lustre White smart bulb review

Published

3 years ago

October 22, 2023

Staff Reporter

Spread the love

[ad_1]

Philips Hue Lustre White: one-minute review

The Philips Hue White Ambiance Lustre colour-changing smart bulbs are ideal for use in bedrooms and living rooms where they can add an intimate feel or provide suffused light for reading or gentle wake-up calls.

Philips’ expertise with producing some of the best smart lights on the market really comes into its own, with these simple-to-set-up bulbs that use Bluetooth or ZigBee to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Setup and subsequent light control is managed seamlessly through the Philips Hue app. Here you can adjust scenes, routines and light levels individually or as a cluster of up to 10 lights, plus connect to other smart devices.

Philips Hue smart bulbs are compatible with Amazon’s Alexa and smart speakers, adding voice control functionality to the mix. Although this is ‘only’ a white smart light bulb, Philips expertly demonstrates just how many subtleties and shades and how many lighting effects can be created using a single base colour. I’ve already promised myself additional Hue lights for around the house. In most instances, I see myself choosing the calming light options offered by the Hue Lustre White in any case.

The Hue Lustre is compatible with Philips’ Hue Bridge so you can control multiple smart devices in the range centrally, but if you’re only after a couple of fancy coloured smart lights, these Bluetooth-enabled, app-controlled ones will fit the bill handsomely. Though considered as among the best smart home devices to invest in, they are more of an impulse buy than a considered purchase, making the addition of Bluetooth something of a power move on Philips’ part in this competitive market.

Philips Hue Lustre White: price & availability

From £19.99 / AU$54.95
Available in the UK and Australia at the time of writing
Warm-to-cool-white and colour versions available

The Philips Hue Lustre smart bulbs have the advantage of cost. This entry-level smart bulb is affordable for most people.

A single bulb costs £19.99 / AU$54.95, but the twin-pack is even better value. I’m sure I won’t be the only one mentally working out where else I could justify an extra Hue bulb or two, or snapping up another twin-pack for its great value. A twin pack costs £29.99, whereas the warm-to-cool-white version costs the same amount for a single bulb and the warm-to-cool-white-and-colour version is £54.99 / $99.95.

TechRadar’s main gripe about the original Philips Hue range was that individual bulbs were expensive, making it unlikely customers would replace all their lights to be part of such a system. Here, however, we’re looking at bulbs costing £15 apiece when bought as a pair, rated for 25,000 hours of use and ready to use minutes after unpacking.

Unfortunately, while the Hue Lustre smart bulbs are available in the UK and Australia, it’s not being sold in the US at the time of writing.

Philips Hue Lustre White: specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Fitting base	E14 / E27 / B22 / GU 5.3 / GU10
Wattage	5.7W
Maximum brightness	470 lumen
Color channel	RGBCW
Control options	Philips Hue app (Android & iOS), Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Matter, ZigBee; Apple HomeKit and Microsoft Cortana with Hue Bridge
Connection options	Bluetooth; Matter, ZigBee
Compatible Matter routers	Philips Hue Bridge; Apple HomePod mini [with Hue Bridge]
Max bulbs per connection	10 on Bluetooth; no limit with Philips Hue Bridge

(Image credit: Future / Rosie Hattersley)

Philips Hue Lustre White: design

Range of light fitting versions
Bluetooth connectivity for straightforward setup
Provides powerful 470 lumens illumination

In just 10 years, smart bulbs have become mainstream enough that early versions can often be acquired for a song in electronics stores, no longer feature-laden enough to satisfy the discerning customer. Statista predicts the smart lighting market to increase tremendously and quadruple to around US $44 billion by 2030 from its 2020 value of $11 billion.

Philips was early to the smart lighting game and quickly carved out a name and handsome share of the market for its Hue range. Now, it is upping the ante with bulbs that contain more of the smart elements, cutting out the need for additional hardware to connect and control their pretty lighting while also reducing entry-level bulb prices.

Whereas the original Hue White smart bulb was sold mainly on the ability to control it as part of a home network, here those controls are via Bluetooth, not only simplifying the installation but also adding a rich app experience. The Philips Hue Lustre White is a stunning showcase for this additional functionality without compromising on the ease of use you’d expect from a premium consumer electronics brand.

Philips Hue smart bulbs come in several versions to accommodate different light fittings, as well as offering a choice of Candle and Lustre shape bulbs and colour options. This version, soft warm white, is the sort you’re likely to need for table lamps, wall lights and small pendant lamps, marking it out as a smart bulb for intimate spaces and cosy nooks. The top half of the lamp is translucent white glass while the lower half is encased in plastic.

Although this may look like a generic light bulb, the Hue Lustre is capable of running the gamut from a strong 470-lumen intense light for when you need to fully focus to becoming a subtly glowing orb with a warm colour temperature of 2600K. Philips also sells Hue filament bulbs for use in situations where an exposed bulb is desirable, but since the Hue Lustre is likely to be placed within the housing of a fixed down- or uplighter or hidden within a lampshade, its plain appearance doesn’t much matter.

The need for fiddly switches has also been overcome by embracing Bluetooth, further simplifying setup and control. Voice control functionality can be added using Amazon Alexa or the Google Home app. However, Apple HomeKit users will need to invest in a Hue Bridge in order to use the Hue smart bulbs with the Apple Home system. Microsoft Cortana is also only supported via the Hue Bridge, but other smart home connection options include both ZigBee and the increasingly widely-supported Matter.

Philips Hue Lustre White: setup & app

Attractive design and easy to navigate
Rich user experience with plenty of preset light options
Google Home, Amazon Alexa and ZigBee supported

Setting up the Philips Hue Lustre light was barely more complex than changing a regular light bulb. The E14 bulb screw fitting meant it could be used with my pretty Moroccan fretwork lamp and the second E14 lamp I bought to better enjoy my Hue smart bulbs. After screwing the Hue Lustre bulb into position I just needed to switch on the lamp at the mains and flick its on switch to make it visible on my Wi-Fi network. Standby mode uses a modest 0.5Wh.

The Philips Hue app is great! It requires only minimal personal information to set up, and I found its précis of terms stating that privacy is respected by default refreshing and reassuring. It took care of finding both Hue Lustre bulbs on the system and labels them by name and order in which they were added to the smart home setup. A few seconds later I was able to toggle the lights on and off individually or, as is the default, as a group.

Image 1 of 2

Scene selection and previewing was another one-touch task: the Hue lamp immediately responded by switching to the selected option, and the inclusion of seasonal settings – currently spooky Hallowe’en ones – made me feel I’d go back and check for new scenes having been added to the Gallery once in a while. Mood-based and time of day, focus or relax defaults made it easy to choose something appropriate without dithering. It might have been handy to have options not available to the particular Hue smart bulb blanked out, but seeing the array offered may also be a spur to splurging on a pricier edition.

Bluetooth connectivity built into the Hue smart bulbs is a game-changer, but it’s worth noting that the Philips Hue app only supports 10 lights at once. This is likely to be plenty for most homes, but centrally controlling additional Hue-enabled devices including outdoor lights, plus working with Apple HomeKit are beyond the app’s scope. This is a neat teaser to tempt upgraders to add a Hue Bridge to their smart home setup, and would also fix the other issue with the Bluetooth and app-based controls for the Hue Lustre range: you can only tweak settings and directly control the lights while you’re connected to the same network.

Philips Hue Lustre White: performance

Ample brightness, very responsive
Lovely range of light effects
Needs Bridge to work with Apple HomeKit

The brightness of the Philips Hue Lustre smart bulb turned out to be ample to illuminate a dark spot in the lounge where I’d usually have a floor-standing lamp, making that corner of the lounge feel immediately cosier. And adjusting the settings for an individual bulb just meant tapping on it in the app and then either using the slider to manually adjust the light levels by percentage, or choosing a scene.

Since this bulb works only in the white colour space, there are far fewer permutations than for the more expensive colour and warm-to-cool-white variants. However, scenes such as Nightlight, Dimmed, Energize and Relax are offered in the Default section, and I was still able to select and apply intriguing gallery options such as Spellbound even though the effects are less pronounced.

Having selected Nightlight mode, I was immediately drawn to the soft white light inviting me to curl up with a book or nestle alongside the radio. I also admired the way the Hue Lustre bulb created intriguing shadows and pools of light, adding depth and interest to a fairly plain front room.

Image 1 of 2

Adding voice controls to the Hue Lustre lights was straightforward too. I was quickly and easily able to set up and start using my Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker by connecting it with the Philips Hue app and then issuing voice instructions to switch the Hue Lustre smart bulbs on and off.

I was able to use the Hue app to make both the Hue Lustre smart bulbs turn on and off by calling out ”Alexa, turn off first light; turn on second light” and also turn off all lights at once. Although Philips suggests that the speaker can only be used to voice control the Hue smart bulbs if the device is in the same room, once set up I was able to use voice commands to activate the lights from neighbouring rooms separated by a brick wall, and to do so from different Alexa speakers.

I also really liked the routines that can be set up to gently wake you with light that increases in brightness over the course of 20 minutes. A discreet but audible notification on my iPhone confirmed that the Hue app had clicked into action. There’s an equivalent routine for Night Time whereby the Hue lightbulb automatically turns off at a preset time having dimmed over the duration of several minutes, helping you nod off.

Since I’d set up my Hue Lustre smart light bulbs in different rooms, I made use of the option to tailor the app settings so only the bulb in my bedroom applied these Wake Up and Night Time routines. By toggling which smart bulb I wanted to customise, I was also able to apply settings for the downstairs light to come on at set times, effectively using it to suggest someone is at home. The countdown timer is a neat idea, but I wandered out of the room at the critical moment that it visually reminded me to check on dinner by flashing the nearest Hue bulb on and off for 30 seconds. I’ll stick to my Alexa kitchen clock for that task.

Should I buy the Philips Hue Lustre White?

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	This is one of the most affordable smart light bulbs available right now.	4.5 / 5
Design	It has a range of light fitting versions plus Bluetooth connectivity for straightforward setup.	4 / 5
Setup & app	It’s easy to set up and offers a rich user experience with plenty of preset light options.	4.5 / 5
Performance	It delivers ample brightness, responsive and works with Alexa and Google Home.	4.5 / 5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Header Cell – Column 0	Nanoleaf Matter Essentials A19 smart bulb	Philips Hue Color Ambiance A67 – E27 / ES smart bulb
Starting price	From $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.99 per bulb	$54.99 / £54.99 / AU$119.95
Wattage	8.5W	8.5W
Color range	16 million +	16 million +
Brightness	1100 lumen (806 average)	1,600 lumen
Connection type/s	Matter, Thread, Bluetooth	Bluetooth, Zigbee
Control Options	Nanoleaf App (Android & iOS), Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings	Philips Hue App, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Microsoft Cortana
Lifetime	25,000 hours	25,000 hours

How I tested the Philips Hue Lustre White

Tested Philips Hue app with iPhone 8 and Android Galaxy S
Connected two smart bulbs using home Wi-Fi network
Additionally tested using Google Home and Amazon Alexa apps

Before completing the setup I checked the privacy and security policies, and mentally noted the number of prompts to upgrade to a Bridge that the Hue app offered. Opt-outs were easy and the privacy by default approach pleasing. I checked power consumption (the Hue’s G rating is the highest on the traffic light system), standby and lamp life span. No software updates were needed for the phones or offered for the Hue app or the third-party ones I used for the review.

I first tried out a single smart bulb with a bedroom lamp, noting that it took only a few seconds to recognise the bulb and connect it to my home Wi-Fi network and 1Gbps broadband. I ran through the light intensity settings, tried setting a number of scenes – default ones such as Dimmed and Relax as well as the custom ones – and used the in-app slider to adjust light levels. The used the countdown timer and both the wake-up and night-time routines overnight, successfully being gently woken by the Hue light. I also used the timer settings to set automatic switch on times having moved the lamp to the lounge. Next, I added a second lamp, positioning this downstairs where it should have been beyond the range of the Alexa voice assistant I’d synched both Hue bulbs with, but found it continued to control both Hue smart bulbs individually and separately.

News

What caused the global Microsoft outage and which services were affected?

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Michael Gomes

Spread the love

For millions of people who rely on Microsoft for work, Thursday’s disruption meant more than an application failing to load. Emails became difficult to access, workplace conversations were interrupted, and documents stored online were suddenly out of reach.

Microsoft’s widespread service outage, which began on November 12, continued into Friday, November 13, as the company struggled to restore normal operations across its Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint were among the services affected, alongside business platforms such as SharePoint and OneDrive.

The disruption lasted for more than five hours during its initial phase, but the problems did not end when the first signs of recovery emerged. Thousands of users were still reporting difficulties nearly 24 hours later, suggesting that the company was dealing with a more complicated infrastructure problem than a temporary application failure.

Microsoft said the incident stemmed from unexpected server failures that put additional pressure on the systems still operating. It ruled out a sudden surge in user traffic and said there was no indication that a cyberattack was responsible.

From email problems to disrupted workplaces: What stopped working?

The outage spread across several services that individuals and organisations use to manage their daily work.

Outlook was among the most affected platforms, with users reporting trouble opening inboxes, sending and receiving messages, and connecting to Exchange Online mailboxes. Teams users also encountered connection problems, affecting access to the communication and video-conferencing platform.

The disruption extended beyond email and meetings. Users also reported problems with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, while SharePoint Online and OneDrive were affected, making it harder to reach shared documents and cloud-stored files.

The list of potentially affected services included Microsoft’s AI assistant, 365 Copilot, as well as Microsoft Defender XDR, Planner, To Do, Intune and Defender for Office 365.

Some Microsoft Purview capabilities were also disrupted. These included functions linked to authorisation, data classification, automatic labelling, data loss prevention and communication compliance.

The impact was not restricted to one part of the world. Microsoft warned that customers in different regions could experience problems, turning the incident into a wider disruption for businesses and individual users.

Why did the Microsoft outage happen?

The scale of the disruption raised an obvious question: why were so many services affected at the same time?

Microsoft’s explanation pointed to a failure within its server infrastructure. Although the company initially referred to elevated loads, it later clarified that an increase in user traffic was not behind the problem.

Instead, several servers had unexpectedly become unavailable. That left the remaining infrastructure carrying additional workloads, increasing pressure on systems that were still functioning.

The company also identified failures involving automated server health checks. These checks are designed to monitor server performance and determine whether individual systems are operating properly. Problems with the monitoring process contributed to affected servers being marked as unavailable.

Microsoft began investigating whether a particular component involved in processing these checks was contributing to the failures. Engineers tested a configuration change on a portion of the affected infrastructure to see whether it could help restore server availability.

The company also paused deployments and took steps to prevent additional servers from being removed from service.

Importantly, Microsoft said its investigation had found no indication of a cyberattack. The explanation it provided centred on server availability and the systems responsible for monitoring infrastructure health.

Microsoft’s recovery effort: Moving traffic and restarting servers

With services affected across its network, Microsoft’s immediate priority was to reduce pressure on the infrastructure that remained operational.

The company began redirecting additional connection traffic away from affected systems and distributing it across other parts of its global network. It also started restarting affected servers in an effort to bring them back online.

In a further step, Microsoft tested an alternative method for carrying out server health checks. The company said this approach helped return some affected servers to service and that it planned to apply the change more widely.

It was also preparing automated recovery systems to identify unresponsive servers and restart them, with the aim of making the restoration process more effective.

There were signs of improvement on Thursday evening. By around 6pm ET on November 12, Microsoft reported limited recovery, with some users gradually reconnecting to its services.

Figures cited by Reuters showed that complaints on Downdetector had also begun to fall. Outlook-related reports dropped from a peak of 138,058 around 1pm ET to approximately 34,490 by the evening. Reports concerning Microsoft 365 had declined to nearly 13,000 by 5:47pm ET.

But falling complaint numbers did not mean the disruption was over. Microsoft cautioned that users would experience a gradual return to normal as server capacity came back and applications reconnected.

When will Outlook and Microsoft 365 be fully restored?

By Friday, November 13, the recovery was still a work in progress. Users continued to report difficulties logging in, opening Outlook inboxes and connecting to Microsoft 365 applications.

Microsoft had not provided a definitive timeline for the complete restoration of every affected service in the updates covered here.

For businesses that depend on Microsoft’s cloud-based tools, the prolonged disruption highlighted how closely everyday operations are tied to access to email, shared files and online collaboration platforms.

The company was continuing to bring affected servers back into service and reduce the pressure on its remaining infrastructure. Until that process was complete, some users could continue to experience intermittent access problems.

(With inputs from agencies)

Announcements

Meta launches all-in-one subscription with AI tools across Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook

Published

2 months ago

September 15, 2026

Staff Reporter

Spread the love

Meta has launched Meta One, a subscription service bringing premium features across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta AI, with plans in the UAE starting at Dh22.99 a month.

The service is part of the technology company’s wider push into paid products, combining enhanced artificial intelligence tools, creative features and professional services for creators and businesses.

Meta said the core versions of its apps and Meta AI would remain free, while subscribers would receive higher usage limits and access to additional features.

The company said Meta One launches with more than 50 features. It follows the introduction of individual subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, which Meta said have attracted more than 15 million subscriptions and trials.

More AI tools and creative features

Meta One’s individual plans, Core and Premium, offer greater access to AI-powered image generation, video creation using Meta’s Muse models, image editing, Instagram’s Restyle tools and voice effects.

Meta said its AI assistant would continue to be available for everyday use without a subscription. The paid plans are aimed at users who want more intensive access to AI-powered creative tools.

Early testing found that more than half of bundle subscribers used both AI and creative-expression features, according to Meta. Instagram Restyle and voice effects were among the features most frequently cited as reasons for subscribing.

The new bundles also include features available through the company’s individual app subscriptions.

Instagram Plus has added custom fonts for direct messages and Stories, notifications for specific Story viewers and DM previews. Facebook Plus includes Messenger customisation, expanded Reels insights and super reactions across Reels and Feed posts.

WhatsApp Plus is expected to test chat and media backup storage, as well as Focus Schedules, which allow users to mute or hide chats at set times.

Business and creator plans

Meta One also includes subscription tiers aimed at creators and businesses, offering professional profile tools, AI-powered customer engagement and expanded analytics.

Business subscribers can access enhanced profiles displaying details such as websites, locations and customer reviews. Other features include a prominent follow button on Reels and automated follow invitations for users who interact with content.

Businesses will also receive expanded access to Meta Business Agent, Meta’s AI-powered tool for handling customer queries around the clock on WhatsApp.

Higher-tier plans add features such as Story scheduling, exportable analytics, deeper audience insights, collaborative account management and expanded business messaging capabilities.

Meta said it plans to introduce further benefits over time, including Edits Plus, which is expected to offer additional cloud storage for syncing projects across devices and greater access to an upcoming assistant that can analyse Instagram insights and generate content ideas.

The company also plans to extend Meta One benefits to other products, including its Edits video-editing app and AI-powered smart glasses.

Meta One UAE pricing

Meta said Meta One plans are available globally, although features, pricing and availability may vary by region, app and account.

The UAE pricing announced for the service is:

Individual app subscriptions

Instagram Plus: Dh7.99 a month
WhatsApp Plus: Dh5.99 a month
Facebook Plus: Dh7.99 a month

Meta One individual bundles

Core: Dh22.99 a month
Premium: Dh76.99 a month

Creator and business bundles

Essential: From Dh46.99 a month
Advanced: From Dh119 a month
Expert: From Dh359 a month
Max: Up to Dh1,199 a month

The company said the subscription options are designed to give users more choice, while keeping its main social media services accessible without payment.

News

Dubai robotics team earns global recognition at elite US competitions

Published

4 months ago

July 27, 2026

Michael Gomes

Spread the love

A Dubai-based student robotics team has put the UAE on the global STEM map after securing a major award at one of the world’s leading robotics competitions and earning an invitation to an elite international event in the US.

Team UFORCE, representing Unique World Robotics (UWR), finished third in the prestigious Inspire Award category at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Michiana Premier Event, held in Indiana from June 18 to 21.

The Inspire Award is FTC’s highest judged honour, recognising excellence in robot design, engineering, programming, innovation, teamwork and community impact. Team UFORCE competed against 96 top robotics teams from around the world.

Invited to exclusive global event

Following its strong performance, Team UFORCE also competed at the Multinational Tech Invitational (MTI) in Maryland, an invitation-only competition featuring just 44 of the world’s best FTC teams selected from more than 11,000 active teams globally.

Showcasing UAE STEM talent

The 16-member team includes students from schools across Dubai and Sharjah, highlighting the UAE’s growing talent in robotics and engineering.

“This achievement reflects the dedication, innovation and perseverance of our students and mentors,” said Bansan Thomas George, founder of Unique World Robotics.

Head coach Mohammed Mukhtar said competing on global platforms demonstrates the ability of young innovators from the UAE to excel internationally.

Team captain Aarnav Bhargava described the competitions as a valuable opportunity to develop technical skills, teamwork and confidence while competing against some of the world’s best robotics teams.

About FIRST Tech Challenge

FIRST Tech Challenge is one of the world’s largest youth robotics programmes and is supported by organisations including Google, Amazon and NASA.

The programme also offers students access to scholarships, mentorship opportunities and pathways to leading universities and STEM institutions.

The achievement also reflects the growing impact of firstrobotics.ae, a UAE volunteer-led robotics community that supports students interested in robotics, artificial intelligence and STEM education.