FabianWhen the new Philips Hue dimmer switch was introduced, you probably thought: What should I do with it? After all, the chances are very high that you have at least one dimmer switch in your home. Now the second generation is available – and a closer look at it is worthwhile for several reasons.
First of all, there is the revised design. The new dimmer switch not only has rounded corners, but is also made of a completely different material. Compared to the matt plastic of the new generation, the first dimmer switch looks like a cheap copy. A small toy has become a real Hue product.
The new Philips Hue dimmer switch finally covers the entire switch box
Moreover, Philips Hue has thought the whole story through to the end. The included mounting plate has become one centimetre wider and with its approximately 8 centimetres it is wide enough to cover an empty (European) wall switch box. But that's not all: the wall mount can not only be glued on, but thanks to its matching holes, it can also be screwed onto empty sockets.
In the end, however, this is not the only clever idea. Also practical is the fact that the magnets are no longer built into the holder but directly into the dimmer switch. So you can simply put the new switch directly on the refrigerator without having to use the holder. A change that I personally like.
What the new Hue button can do
There was a lot of discussion around the changed button layout. The new Philips Hue dimmer switch has an on and off switch at the top. Through the five configurable scenes you can switch with the new Hue button at the bottom. For me this is a logical step: with the Hue button you change the Hue scene.
Philips Hue Dimmer Switch
$27.99 / €21.99 / £19.99
When configuring the new dimmer switch, you have a few more options in the Hue app than with the first generation. For example, you can activate a time-based mode so that the desired light setting is used according to the time of day as soon as you switch on the light with the dimmer switch. In addition, a long press on the on/off switch can switch off all Hue lamps in the house if desired.
In my opinion, the new Philips Hue dimmer switch offers many improvements and is better than its predecessor in all respects. Of course, you have to get used to a slightly different button layout in the end, but that shouldn't be a big thing. So it is even more remarkable that Philips Hue has left the price of 19.99 euros unchanged.
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Great improvement but all these features (except design of course) are software updates. All of these can pretty closely being done with some apps reconfiguring the dimmer switch or even with hue labs recepies. Another way to make you buy the same product again …
Fully agree with your observations.
This definitely reads like it was written by the Hue marketing department.
It would help if you pointed out some of the glaring omissions. For a U.S. example, the number one most requested change – and the reason Hue has not become an integrated part of a whole house system – the form factor. Simply making it a Decora light switch size would mean it could integrate right in with a multi-gang wall plate just like Lutron Pico switched do. How on earth did this not make it into the requirements?
Can someone answer Does it retro fit onto a UK single gang back box?
My house would be stocked with Hue bulbs if they had a hard-wired switch available. Sorry, but I hate batteries and the current offering does not satisfy my 3-way switch configuration in my living room. Is a hard- wired solution too much to ask for?
Time to put your money where your mouth is. They’ve announced a solution for this.
The hardwired solution from Philips Hue uses batteries!… 😆
It can but you’ll need a cover plate from Amazon.
Hi! Can you check within HomeKit if this Switch now allows for multi-press setups? Or only the single press like the old ones?
And I would appreciate having IPs from Brazil excluded from your Spam list. That’s kind of offensive, we have VPN.
Thanks!
Does the new switch fit into backplates designed for the old switch? It’s not clear to me whether the size of the new switch or the polarity of the magnets allows it to fit securely in the indentation of the old switch. This would be useful to allow the new switch to be used with the Samotech covers designed for the v1 switch.
Sizewise it does. Unfortunately though the magnets will try to lift up and “eject” the new switch along the left vertical side of the old backplate.
So good having the magnets built in. I can get it to stick on my wall where the metal cornering work has been used for joining plasterboards.
Is there a way to replicate the new switch functions on the old switches – I have 8 old switches and now 2 new switches for the new extension – now everyone has to remember that just 2 of the switches work differently!
Have to agree, it’s so annoying that the on / off switch positions have been swapped around. Why not leave the on at the top. Also, visitors will not know that “Hue” means. I get asked now by visitors how to turn on the lights.
I agree. I like the separate off button at the bottom and using the On button to cycle scenes. I might have to buy a few spares of the old version to keep around.
@Brian Ball
They haven’t swapped the buttons. They made the top button power on and off and the bottom button the scene select button.
I am reading this a bit later, thought it looked nice, curves and all that. I don’t want a single power button though. I like having the separate off button at the bottom and to cycle scenes with the top on button.
This is a step backwards