FabianAt first, I didn’t really notice it, but some readers were much more observant earlier this week. The Hue Play Floor Lamp I discovered looks strikingly similar to the WiZ Gradient Floor Lamp (header image), which has been available since last year. While the upcoming model from Philips Hue will likely cost €149.99, the regular price for the floor lamp from sister brand WiZ is just €89.99. Is the Hue name being used to make a tidy profit here?
Of course, I went looking for clues on your behalf. Visually, the two floor lamps from Philips Hue and WiZ do indeed look absolutely identical, so I assume that the same housing parts are being used. That would also mean that the Philips Hue floor lamp, contrary to what’s apparent from a glance at the leaked images of the packaging, is likely shipped in one piece.
Philips Hue offers the better LED technology
When it comes to LED technology, the heart of the floor lamp, there are significant differences, however. WiZ relies solely on RGB technology for its affordable Gradient floor lamp. This means only colored LEDs are used here; white tones must be mixed from red, green, and blue. Regarding maximum brightness, Signify does not provide exact lumen specifications in the official documents. Without white LEDs, however, one shouldn’t expect miracles here.
The upcoming Philips Hue Play floor lamp, on the other hand, will utilize RGBWW technology. In addition to red, green, and white, it also features warm white and cool white. Unlike with WiZ, the new Philips Hue floor lamp will therefore be able to produce true white light with different color temperatures. This also makes it clear that the Philips Hue floor lamp will be significantly brighter than the budget version from WiZ.
Incidentally, the new Philips Hue Play table lamp, which is significantly smaller at 60 centimeters tall, has no counterpart at WiZ. So here we’re actually getting a completely new product.
