FabianIn my last published list of the five oldest Hue products that are still being sold, the Hue Smart Button did not appear. The small switch was released on October 21, 2019 – so it’s already five years old. While the Hue Dimmer Switch and Hue Tap have received updates in the meantime, the Hue Smart Button shown in the cover image above has so far been left empty-handed.
This is likely to change this year, as a new “digital device” has appeared at the American approval authority FCC. It offers no Bluetooth support and only works via Zigbee. There are also suspicious clues in the “Antenna Spec” and “Label and Location” documents, which strongly suggest a new Hue Smart Button in terms of form factor.
Through my research, I can confirm exactly that: A new Smart Button is coming. There will be no functional differences to the previous model and the form factor will basically remain the same. However, the second-generation Hue Smart Button will be slightly larger and more angular, and the overall design will be a little more sophisticated.
Will the Hue Smart Button remain exclusive to Amazon?
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly when the new Hue Smart Button will be launched on the market. Looking at the past, there are two options: Philips Hue usually introduces new products in June and early September. That shouldn’t change this year.
Another detail will be exciting. Since its launch in 2019, the Hue Smart Button has only been sold in the official Philips Hue Shop and on Amazon (see below). Even after more than five years, it is not available from other retailers. Will this change with the new generation? To be honest, I have no idea whether we can hold out any hope in this regard.
- WHAT’S IN THE BOX - Includes one battery-powered smart button; add more ways to control your Hue lights for everyone in your home, including kids...
- REQUIRES A HUE BRIDGE - Unlock the power of Hue and enjoy automations, control from anywhere in the world, and a secure, stable connection that...
Could it come in black as well?
When are we going to get a nice architectual keypad to bring Hue into a viable option for real house use and bring this system to the next level? It would be nice to have a high voltage keypad in multiple finishes that you could replace a normal analog switch for and have 4-6 programmable buttons on it. I know there are workarounds that are very expensive and in my professional work I’ve been able to get high-end Lutron Homeworks products to control Hue via custom middle-man programming I’ve created, but that’s not an viable option for the average consumer to put in Homeworks just to have a keypad on the wall that doesn’t look cheap.
@Clovenguth: I hear you. Even the switch module isn’t that great. With a traditional switch, the hue app could turn the lights on while the switch is still in the off position, and vice versa. a double throw double pole momentary switch could fix that I guess? But those are like $30 + $40 for the switch module and then that just seems ridiculous when you could just slap a Lutron aurora on a toggle switch and call it a day.
I’ve been stressing over what to do for some of my overhead lighting lately so I’ve been giving this a lot of thought haha.
Frankly I am very much leaning towards switching to home assistant to manage hue devices just for better third party physical controls.
I currently use hue essentials just to expand functionality.