We consulted with Sutton and researched the best combination of quality, smart platform compatibility, and value on the market. Based on our findings, the Wyze Bulb Color stood out as the strongest overall choice for its excellent colors, brightness range, extra control features, and affordability. Here are our recommendations for the best smart light bulbs. Whether you buy in a pack of four, two, or one, the Wyze Bulb Color is one of the best deals on smart light bulbs and one that delivers everything most homeowners need. Its max brightness of 1100 lumens tops the 800 lumens typical of other options and can dim down to 30 lumens. You can also tune its white light temperature across a wide range, from an 1800 Kelvin soft, warm light to a cool, daylight-like 6500 Kelvin. It’s fully adjustable across 16 million colors, with a 90+ color rendering index (CRI) out of 100 that shows objects in vibrant, true-to-life shades. However, you access the majority of controls and settings through the Wyze mobile app. While it lacks advanced color-changing effects, the app offers plenty to customize, including pre-set scenes, wake or sleep routines, and vacation mode. You can even group multiple smart bulbs or sync with other Wyze products like security cameras to turn on when anyone walks past. While this bulb lacks Apple HomeKit integration and many advanced color effects, it’s dimmable with a brightness of up to 800 lumens, supports 16 million colors, and includes white with a color temperature tunable between 2000 and 6500 Kelvin. Unlocking the total potential of these bulbs requires a Hue Bridge, which uses a Zigbee network and serves as a hub for up to 50 smart lights. You get complete remote control of your system, including sunrise/sunset schedules, location-based home/away routines, and other advanced automations. Besides Alexa and Google Assistant, the Hue Bridge also adds the less common support for Apple HomeKit and additional smart platforms. New to the latest version is the option to connect via Bluetooth without needing the hub. This alternative introduces much-needed simplicity with limits: You must be within range of about one room, you can control a maximum of ten bulbs only, and the separate Hue Bluetooth app sticks to more basic functions. As a 9-watt LED bulb equivalent to a 60W incandescent, Meross’s Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb lists a 78.3 percent energy savings over the more traditional incandescent bulb. Even with reduced energy usage, it can reach a respectable 810 lumens of brightness. It’s fully dimmable through the app or voice commands, and the white temperature can adjust from 2700 to 6500 Kelvin. You can set color scenes and schedule timers, with other automations possible through HomeKit. Just note that you need a primary device to serve as your HomeKit hub. Options include an Apple TV, Apple HomePod, or iPad. Rather than crowd the Wi-Fi network many of your home’s devices likely use, the Hue Bridge operates on the Zigbee wireless protocol that uses a low-power mesh network that gets stronger the more devices you connect to it. The current kits come with Bluetooth-enabled bulbs for quick, hub-free connection, but you’ll miss out on many features only possible through the Hue Bridge. When connected to the hub, the bulbs work with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT automations, and other third-party platforms. On the Hue app, you can set up detailed schedules and geofencing (to trigger certain routines when you’re close to or arrive home) and even sync your lights to music or movies. If you get a kit with general-use E26 multicolor bulbs, they’ll be 75-watt equivalent bulbs with a nice maximum brightness of 1100 lumens. The Connected Max flood light is UL wet rated, indicating that the UL organization tested its ability to hold up against rain and other water exposure, even when installed in a fixture that isn’t waterproof. It also includes a five-year warranty from the manufacturer if you run into problems. The 14-watt LED bulb (a 120-watt replacement) produces a dimmable, tunable white light that gets decently bright at 1200 lumens, though the colored lighting is on the dim side. You get complete mobile app control when connected to your Wi-Fi, and the bulb supports Bluetooth, which can be handy if you have issues with your network. Ring also offers a waterproof PAR38 smart floodlight, but the standard A19 indoor/outdoor bulb is UL rated only for damp locations, so it’s best to install it in covered entryways or closed fixtures. Its brightness caps at 800 lumens of dimmable white light only, locked at a cool-ish 3500 Kelvin color temperature. While it’s not a pure outdoor light or a full-featured indoor smart light, Ring’s A19 bulb provides a lot of versatility and cost-effective security as part of a Ring system. All smart bulbs do need to draw some power at all times to function, but Kasa Smart claims its products use 60 percent less standby power than other smart bulbs (less than 0.2 watts rather than 0.5 watts and higher), which would add up to even more savings in the long run. The KL130 model is a 60-watt equivalent bulb that uses 9.5 watts and produces up to a solid 850 lumens of brightness. It’s well-priced for a fully adjustable multicolor smart bulb, but you won’t get any advanced color effects like presets and syncing to media. However, if you need extra brightness, you can pay more for the 1000-lumen KL135 model that’s otherwise the same. All Kasa Smart multicolor bulbs have the usual array of smart features, from schedules and preset scenes to away mode, so it looks like you’re home. Modern Edison-style LEDs often use a standard E26 base but an elongated ST19 shape, which is the case with Sengled’s Smart Wi-Fi Vintage Filament Light Bulbs. This model is available in packs of two or four, representing a cost-effective way to achieve the retro style. Still, these bulbs are costlier than other LED alternatives. These vintage-style bulbs cast a specific sort of light as well, which for the Sengled bulbs means a very warm 2000 Kelvin amber color. Unfortunately, this color temperature can’t be adjusted, changed to any other colors, or get brighter than 600 lumens. It is fully dimmable, though, and you can still control this bulb from your phone or voice assistants, set timers and schedules, and enjoy other high-tech bonuses that Edison never had. Once arranged, there are nearly endless options for how to light your Shapes. Use pre-made animated lighting effects or customize your own. Or sync the lights to your music, TV or PC screen, or games, including compatibility with the Razer Chroma RGB lighting system. The panels also have a tactile element that lets you control the light via touch or play games like whack-a-mole. That’s all on top of its broad support for smart platforms like Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. The initial seven panels may not be ideal as an everyday light source. However, the entertainment and creativity factor might convince you to shell out for more Shapes (Triangles and Mini Triangles are also available) to brighten your walls.
Brightness
It’s best to consider the brightness depending on where you’re installing your smart bulb. An already-dim hallway is no place for not-very-bright light. Lumens describe the brightness of any bulb. A dim bulb might only reach 450 lumens, while a bright flood light may get closer to 1400 lumens. A typical maximum brightness for smart light bulbs is 800 lumens, but brighter ones are available if your space needs them. Smart bulbs are also generally dimmable, so you can reduce the brightness for smaller rooms or gentle mood lighting.
Color
Many smart bulbs are known for their color-changing capabilities, but this fun feature often increases cost. For that reason, multicolor smart bulbs make the most sense in spaces where you’ll use them to set the mood or entertain. Color also comes into play with “tunable” white lights where you can adjust their color temperature, measured in Kelvin (K). This range usually includes soft, warm light (around 2200K) to cool light imitating daylight (5000K or more). “There’s a lot of research right now around human-centered lighting, which is how color affects us,” says Sutton. “You can use different colors to help you feel more alert during the day or help you fall asleep or wake up in the morning. For example, I use smart lights timed with the alarm on my iPhone, so the lights in my bedroom slowly start to ramp up at the same time. You’re not waking up in complete darkness; you’ve got light that’s helping you adjust to the day.”
Why Trust The Spruce?
This article was researched and written by Anton Galang, a freelance contributor who first started working in the consumer tech industry with PC Magazine in 2007. In addition to covering smart home products for The Spruce, he has reviewed and written about a wide variety of gadgets, games, and hardware for Lifewire since 2019. Some bulbs require a “hub” (like the Philips Hue Bridge) that acts as a waypoint between your phone’s wireless network and the wireless network your bulbs are on. These options might use a separate wireless standard like Zigbee or Z-Wave to connect any smart bulbs or other devices compatible with that platform. “The first generation of smart lights lasted around 15,000 hours, which was already quite a lot,” notes Sutton. “The current generation is now up to 25,000 hours—compared to the average incandescent lifespan of about 1,000 hours, that’s a considerable difference. Smart bulbs also on average use 80 percent less power than incandescent lights.” In creating this list of top smart light bulbs, Anton considered over 50 different products across more than 15 brands, comparing reviews and specs of bulbs of various types, uses, platforms, and capabilities. He also discussed broader context and recommendations with Giles Sutton, a long-time smart home integrator and current Senior Vice President of Member Success and Sales at CEDIA, the global industry association for home technology.
