It’s not entirely unlikely that a well-equipped smart home with Philips Hue lighting will also feature Sonos speakers. After all, Sonos is the market leader when it comes to smart control and multi-room functionality. As I have now learned, the two manufacturers are set to join forces soon – at least when it comes to voice control.
Back in June, around the time of the release of the new Philips Hue Play Wall Washer, I noticed that Philips Hue had a new logo. The licensed manufacturer name “Philips” has been moved slightly into the background, with the focus now more on the brand name “Hue.” And not just on the packaging, but also on the Philips Hue website.
When I moved into my current home in 2017, the selection of ceiling lights in the Philips Hue range was still fairly limited. You could count the available models on one hand; names like Struana, Cher, and Fair come to mind. There were also a few spotlights, such as Hue Runner, but these were also equipped with individual bulbs.
When I reported on the firmware update for Philips Hue bulbs and lights last week, there were some critical comments, particularly on the english version of Hueblog, that the article did not contain any information. I found that a bit of a shame, because many users are wondering about the new software version, but Philips Hue has not provided any information so far.
If you’ve taken a close look at your Philips Hue app in the last few days, you may have noticed a new version in the software updates section. All Philips Hue bulbs, lights, and light strips have been updated to version 1.122.8/20250213. Unfortunately, the release notes from Philips Hue do not yet provide any specific details.
Philips Hue has released another update for its app, version 5.46.0 is now available for download. The update is already available in the Apple App Store, but it is not yet visible in the Google Play Store. I think it will follow there in the coming days. In any case, there isn’t much to report, as Philips Hue doesn’t have any new features to offer this time around.
For many years, we had to make do with the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus. With 1,700 lumens, it was quite bright, but the spacing between the individual LEDs was really very large at six centimeters. It was not until the Philips Hue Ambiance Gradient Lightstrip that the spacing was significantly reduced, as can be seen in the following image.
I don’t want to get too involved in politics, but I would still like to report on the impact this has had on Philips Hue users. As announced last week, prices for Philips Hue products in the US have risen as a result of tariffs. As of 1 July, it is now clear by how much: almost all Hue products in the US have become around 10 percent more expensive.
In recent years, Philips Hue has always unveiled new products at the International Radio Exhibition in Berlin—and this year seems to be no different. An invitation has just landed in my mailbox. Under the motto “Reimagine your home,” Philips Hue plans to introduce new products on the evening of September 3, which is Wednesday during IFA week.
Voice control of Philips Hue with Alexa has now become a whole lot easier, at least if you use more than one Hue Bridge in your household. After what felt like an eternity, Philips Hue has finally delivered a feature that many of us have been waiting for for years. “Now you can use Alexa to control multiple bridges in your home”, says the update description for version 5.45.1, which is now available for download in the Apple App Store and will soon be available in the Google Play Store.
Fabian