Philips to expand its Hue line with LightStrips and Bloom bulbs

philips lightstrips

We’re huge fans of Philips’ line of Hue lightbulbs here at iDB. The iPhone-controlled LED bulbs are completely customizable, allowing you to dynamically change the colors and lighting of a room via the easy-to-use companion app.

Currently, Hue offerings are limited to the $199 starter pack—which includes 3 LED bulbs and a Wi-Fi bridge—and additional 50W LED bulbs. But it looks like Philips is looking to expand the line with LightStrips and Bloom bulbs…

According to The Verge, The flexible LightStrips will come in two-meter lengths and are designed to be placed around frames or to accentuate fixtures in the home. The Bloom, on the other hand, is a portable lamp with a 120 lumen LED bulb.

verge lightstrip box

Both products have been available in different forms before, but Philips has integrated the ZigBee LightLink wireless standard into them and is rolling them up into the Hue family. That also means they’ll be controllable by iPhone.

“A source tells The Verge that the two products will go on sale in Apple Stores and on Apple’s online store in the coming weeks, with the LightStrips costing $89.95 and the Bloom priced at $79.95. Philips does display the LightStrips on its German website but does not provide links to purchase them. Both products use Philips’ LED technology, outputting more than 16 million colors whilst remaining energy efficient. “

That’s pricey for lighting accessories, but we’ve come to expect that from Hue products. What’s worse is in order to add LightStrips or Bloom bulbs to your home, you’ll need the wireless bridge that comes in the aforementioned $199 pack.

I still like what Philips is doing with Hue, and at the moment, it doesn’t have any major competition in this space. Back in March of this year, the company opened up the Hue API, allowing third-party developers to create Hue applications.

We’ll keep you updated on LightStrips and Bloom availability.