FabianWith the big Hue event coming up this Wednesday and the launch day on Thursday, there aren’t many questions left unanswered. Philips Hue has already briefly shown most of the new products on its own website, and I’ve now gathered lots more information for you.
For example, about the Hue Bridge Pro, the Festavia Globe, the new Hue Essential bulbs, and one of several new light strips.
The regular Hue bulbs with E27 sockets will also receive an update next week—and here I’ve been working on a topic for some time that Hueblog reader Marek also pointed out in the comments:
Matter logo on the box! Unless they’re doing the scam typical of some Mainland Chinese vendors (putting the Matter logo on products which only connect to a Matter system via a bridge, which is a breach of CSA rules), this should mean a proper Matter support directly by the bulbs, meaning you could just pair them to a Matter controller like the Nest Hub/Homepod without the Hue Bridge.
Here is the evidence so far
Back in April, new Philips Hue light bulbs appeared at the US regulatory authority FCC, with images showing a Matter logo and setup code. This is what it looked like at the time:
A few days ago, Amazon presented us with the finished packaging for the new light bulbs mentioned above. Here we see a Matter logo again, directly above the logos for Google Home, Apple Home, and Amazon Alexa.
“Based on current knowledge, a Matter logo on the packaging means that such a product supports at least one of the three Matter connection methods: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Thread,“ confirms Frank-Oliver Grün, who has been working on the standard at matter-smarthome.de for several years, sharing my view. ”Only then is a direct connection to a Matter controller or border router currently possible. Ethernet is out of the question anyway, and I would be surprised if Signify opted for Wi-Fi for Philips Hue. After all, they already have the WiZ brand in their portfolio.”
Hue smart bulb (2025)
from $17.99 up to $70.99
Philips Hue will continue to stick with Zigbee and Bridge
It should be clear that Philips Hue will not simply abandon its approach with Zigbee and its own bridge. After all, the Hue Bridge Pro is a new model for the future. With the abundance of Zigbee products with which Philips Hue has conquered the market in over 10 years, this wireless technology will not simply be thrown overboard. Only with a Hue Bridge and its own ecosystem does it have the opportunity to offer features that go beyond the standard.
Nevertheless, it does not want to ignore the Matter market. After all, this is an opportunity to attract newcomers who want to start with a few simple light bulbs. Similar to what it did years ago with the introduction of Bluetooth as a second communication protocol.
What could the technical solution look like?
I think it is very likely that Philips Hue will equip its light bulbs with a radio chip in the future that supports not only Bluetooth but also Zigbee and, alternatively, Thread. Both radio protocols operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency band, and dual radio chips are already available.
Philips Hue will presumably deliver its new light bulbs with Bluetooth and Thread activated. This means that they can be connected to Matter immediately after switching on, without a bridge and, in principle, without the Hue app. If, on the other hand, you start the setup via the Hue app, a command could be sent via Bluetooth to restart the Hue lamp so that it activates the Zigbee radio and can then be used as usual with the Hue Bridge.
I will find out for you next week whether this will actually be the case. As a small side note, it is certainly also quite interesting that representatives of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the association behind Matter, are expected to be present at the Hue event.
“For example, about the Hue Bridge Pro, the Festavia Globe, the new Hue Essential bulbs, and one of several new light strips.”
So good, you mentioned it twice! 😜
https://hueblog.com/2025/07/03/philips-hue-is-reportedly-working-on-new-light-strips-with-cob-technology/
I don’t see those COB like LED strips anywhere in latest leaks…
Actual HUE LED strip products are using SMD and have only 15 diodes per meter – which is a joke in 2025!
They are coming 😉
In short, Hue is really fucked. They have to abandon the proprietary system they built over 10 years in favor of Matter because the world is moving on. I say good riddance – no one wants another shitty hub that can do only one thing in their home.
Do you know how limited Matter is in controlling your lights?
Their lights use plain ZigBee, and can be connected to any standard ZigBee hub or controller, so I don’t see anything proprietary with them, and afaik they already support matter through the Hue Bridge. I have a large ZigBee network with home assistant, which has started with an old Hue start kit, and while I now mostly have devices from different manufacturers in it, the Hue lights work just fine (and are probably the best smart lights there are). It has also started with a Hue starter kit that was gifted to me, where at some point I’ve ditched the hub and switched to a more open system, and you can also do the same if you don’t like their ecosystem.
Perhaps I was being a bit too subtle:
“ For example, about the Hue Bridge Pro, the Festavia Globe, the new Hue Essential bulbs, and one of several new light strips. For example, about the Hue Bridge Pro, the Festavia Globe, the new Hue Essential bulbs, and one of several new light strips.”
Sorry about that 🫣😅
Does the Matter logo on a bulb box guarantee native Matter support, allowing direct pairing with controllers without needing a Hue Bridge?
Yes, that’s correct.