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The best smart light bulbs

best sunrise alarm clocks philips wake up light
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Smart bulbs are a simple way to upgrade your home, as they're both cheap and easy to install. Most will let you change their color or temperature, but the best smart bulbs offer additional features like programmable schedules, preset "moods" or "scenes" to achieve a specific ambiance, and the ability to quickly sync with the rest of your smart home.

Picking the perfect smart bulb for your home is challenging, however, as there are dozens of products to choose from — and many of them share similar specs. Ideally, you'll want a smart bulb that's affordable, reliable, offers heaps of functionality, and works with your preferred smart home platform.

Since most smart bulbs are LED bulbs, they're all incredibly energy efficient (which gives you one less thing to worry about during your search). They also typically all follow the same installation process, which involves inserting them into your lamp and connecting them to your smartphone. Some are now designed to also work with Matter.

If you need help sifting through your options, here's a look at the best smart bulbs, ranging from premium starter kits to budget-friendly alternatives. You'll also find products that work with all the best smart home platforms, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

If you're looking for something more festive, be sure to check out the best holiday lights to brighten up your home. We've also put together a selection of the best smart lamps for your office, living room, and other spaces.

Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit
Philips Hue Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit
Best smart bulb kit
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Sengled Element Classic Smart LED Light Bulbs A19 2700K 60W Starter Kit (2 A19 bulbs and Hub)
Sengled Element Classic A19 Kit
The best budget kit
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Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED Soft White A19 Bulb, No Hub Required
Sengled Wi-Fi Smart Bulb
The best starter bulb
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Wyze Bulb Color
Wyze Color Bulb
The best budget bulb
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Nanoleaf Essentials Smart LED Color-Changing Light Bulb (60W)
Nanoleaf Matter A19 Smart Bulb
The best smart bulbs for Matter
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philips hue review white ambiance starter kit 2666
Kim Wetzel/Digital Trends

Philips Hue Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit

Best smart bulb kit

Pros
  • Useful features
  • Great range and responsiveness
  • Extensive third-party app compatibility
  • Works with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant
Cons
  • Bridge must be plugged into your router
  • Expensive

Though it's a bit expensive, the Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit is the best by far. The kit comes with four A19 LED smart bulbs that project a soft, white light, that can be warmed up or cooled down to your liking, from “warm white to cool daylight.” Up to 50 bulbs can be linked together using the Philips Hue Bridge that comes in the kit. To change the brightness, put the lights on a schedule, or dim the bulbs, you can use the Hue app on iOS or Android.

While the kit works with the app, the Philips Hue Smart Light Bulb can also be controlled with a wide range of hubs, such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod and more. This means you can control the bulbs using just your voice.

Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit
Philips Hue Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit
Best smart bulb kit
smart home Sengled Element Classic LED Smart Bulbs
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sengled Element Classic A19 Kit

The best budget kit

Pros
  • Affordable
  • Energy efficient
  • Support Alexa and Google Assistant
Cons
  • Not as premium as other options

The Element Classic A19 Kit by Sengled is an affordable all-in-one kit that includes two bulbs and one hub as well as an Ethernet cable. Emitting the power of 800 lumens on a mere 9 watts of energy, these super-efficient bulbs will last up to 25,000 hours. They also connect to your Amazon Echo and Google Home devices, allowing for hands-free voice control.

The Element Home app is compatible with both iOS or Android, and the group control function lets you turn all the lights in your home on or off at the same time. You can also schedule when you want your lights to turn on, and plan your mornings with the Wake-up Time feature. The performance section shows you how much power you are using relative to the money you are saving. The Sengled Element Classic A19 is the perfect kit for newbies.

Sengled Element Classic Smart LED Light Bulbs A19 2700K 60W Starter Kit (2 A19 bulbs and Hub)
Sengled Element Classic A19 Kit
The best budget kit
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sengled Wi-Fi Smart Bulb

The best starter bulb

Pros
  • Easy installation
  • Intuitive smartphone app
  • Affordable
Cons
  • Lacking some smart home integrations

The Sengled Wi-Fi smart bulb connects to your 2.4 GHz network without a hub. It is super easy to set up. You just download the Sengled Home app, twist in the bulb, and the bulb flashes on and off to indicate it is ready to set up. Once you go through the usual steps (log in, connect the device to Wi-Fi, etc.), you have dimmable smart lights you can control with your phone or with your voice via Amazon Alexa.

The low cost and easy setup make the Sengled Wi-Fi Smart Bulb the perfect starter bulb. The Sengled WiFi bulb comes in 2700K soft white.

Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED Soft White A19 Bulb, No Hub Required
Sengled Wi-Fi Smart Bulb
The best starter bulb
wyze bulb color review 3 of 10
John Velasco / Digital Trends

Wyze Color Bulb

The best budget bulb

Pros
  • Really bright output
  • Colors are very saturated
  • Doesn't require a bridge
  • Ridiculously low-priced
Cons
  • Basic scene modes

At under $10 (and under $40 for a four-pack), the Wyze bulb is a no-brainer. You can control all of your bulbs, or just one, using your Alexa or Google Assistant or the Wyze app. The bulb is dimmable and you can control how cool or warm the light it emits is to set the mood you want in a room. The Wyze Bulb’s temperatures range from 2,700k – 6,500k and a dimmable 800 lumen (60W equivalent).

If you love everything about the Wyze Bulb Color but only need various shades of white, be sure to look at the standard Wyze Bulb.

Wyze Bulb Color
Wyze Color Bulb
The best budget bulb
Nanoleaf Essentials A19 3-Pack of bulbs in living room.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nanoleaf Matter A19 Smart Bulb

The best smart bulbs for Matter

Pros
  • Tons of color options
  • Full support for Matter
  • Control with voice or app
Cons
  • Expensive

They're a bit expensive at $20 a bulb, but the Nanoleaf Matter A19 Smart Bulbs are a solid pick if you need something with support for the interoperability standard. Featuring more than 16 million color options, easy control using the Nanoleaf app or voice control, and dozens of ways to customize their performance, these bulbs are among the best on the market. They're also one of the few smart bulbs that actually support Matter, putting them ahead of the curve and making them stand out from the competition.

Nanoleaf Essentials Smart LED Color-Changing Light Bulb (60W)
Nanoleaf Matter A19 Smart Bulb
The best smart bulbs for Matter
Michael Bizzaco

Michael Bizzaco has been selling, installing, and talking about TVs, soundbars, streaming devices, and all things smart home for the better part of 15 years. He even knows a thing or two about how to fix this stuff when it starts misbehaving (because no tech is perfect!).

Mike has been writing for Digital Trends and several other publications since 2020. Fortunately, he’s still able to write after he got his index finger stuck in a vending machine at the Ramada Inn the summer before fourth grade! From hands-on reviews to best-of roundups, Mike does his best to share his expertise in a friendly and informative way with all readers, and loves staying on top of the latest AV and smart home trends.

When he’s not thanking his father for dislodging his finger from that vile vending machine in New Jersey, Mike enjoys playing guitar, reading, and indulging in horror films with his girlfriend.

Best Keurig early Black Friday deals — from only $60
Digital Trends Best Cyber Monday Keurig Deals

If you’ve had your eye on some coffee maker deals, now is a good time to look even closer. Black Friday deals are starting to become available, even though the sales event isn’t until after Thanksgiving. Keurig is a brand many coffee lovers turn to every morning, and there are plenty of early Black Friday Keurig deals available to take a look at. We’ve tracked down what we feel are the best Black Friday Keurig deals you can shop right now, so read onward for all of those details, as well as some information on things to look out for as you get your Black Friday shopping started.
Keurig K-Express — $60 $90 33% off

The K-Express is one of Keurig’s most popular single serve coffee makers. You can brew for three different cup sizes, and the K-Express is travel mug friendly. This is also a coffee maker you won’t have to think about much, as it has an auto off feature and a reusable coffee filter. This is one of the better Black Friday Keurig deals we’re seeing, with the K-Express currently seeing a price drop of 33%.

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Hurry! This LG smart washer is $300 off at Best Buy
A front side view of the 4.5 cu. ft. Ultra Large Capacity Smart wi-fi Enabled Front Load Washer.

When it comes to top-shelf washers and dryers, a brand you can always rely on is LG. Making everything from refrigerators to air conditioners, LG has a long history with appliances, which is why we were extra-excited to come across this incredible Best Buy discount: Right now, when you purchase the LG 4.5 Cu. Ft. High-Efficiency Stackable Smart Washer through Best Buy, you’ll save $300 on your purchase. At full price, this unit sells for $1,100.

It’s hard to say how long this LG markdown is going to last, though our experience with Best Buy deals is they tend to vanish by week’s end.

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Get two Blink Outdoor 4 security cameras for only $99, but hurry!
The Blink Outdoor Camera 4 mounted on a brick wall.

Every home would be a bit safer with security cameras installed. If you haven't bought some yet, you should take advantage of Best Buy's $81 discount for a two-pack of the Blink Outdoor 4 wireless security camera. From the bundle's original price of $180, it's down to only $99, but the savings aren't going to last long. There are only a few hours left before the deal ends, so if you want to get these security cameras for much cheaper than usual, you're going to have to hurry with your purchase.

Why you should buy the Blink Outdoor 4 wireless security camera
The Blink Outdoor 4 is extremely easy to install -- just follow the instructions on the Blink app that you can download to your smartphone. You'll be using the same app to look at the live feed through the security camera, and to access advanced features such as setting up motion zones. The security camera takes videos at 1080p HD resolution, and you'll be able to see in the dark with its infrared night vision. You can use the Blink Outdoor 4's two-way audio to communicate with visitors and delivery people, and it works with devices that are powered by Amazon's Alexa for easier integration in your smart home system.

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