Among the many popular smart light devices are the LIFX Mini and the Philips Hue Gen 3. These products are popular out in the market right now. LIFX is a company that adds unique features at an affordable cost. Philips is a well-known brand that has a wide range of products. In this article, let’s compare the two smart bulbs, LIFX Mini and the Philips Hue Gen 3.
Both products are the best in their fields. LIFX Mini is cheaper and has new features. However, Philips Hue Gen 3 has its perks, mainly because of its entertainment. But, in the end, if you had to ask us, we would recommend the LIFX Mini. Let’s find out why, by comparing these two smart bulbs.
The factor we look at when we plan on buying a smart bulb is the beam angle. Higher the beam angle, the more the light is going to spread for a given area. When we talk about the LIFX Mini, it offers a beam angle of 250 degrees, with Philips having 160. So, when we compare the two, LIFX Mini is the best buy as it reduces the number of bulbs, you’ll have to purchase because of its high beam angle. The Philips Hue cannot compete with LIFX Mini in this case.
2. Brightness
This is one of the significant differences between the LIFX Mini and the Philips Hue Gen 3. The Philips Hue Gen 3 has a brightness of 806 lumens, whereas the LIFX Mini has 800 lumens. So, from this, we expect the Philips Hue Gen 3 to be brighter than the LIFX Mini. But the truth is the LIFX Mini is more colorful than the other. The reason might be due to the color temperature at which they operate. LIFX has color temperatures ranging from 2500K-9000K, and the Philips Hue has it ranging from 2000K-6500K. Because of this, we notice that the LIFX Mini has a slightly higher glow compared to the Philips Hue Gen 3.
3. Technology
LIFX Mini can connect to your router without any complications. But the Philips Hue requires a Philips Hue Bridge to connect to the internet. In this, both the products don’t win over the other. We do feel LIFX is more comfortable, but might be subjected to more interferences because of it’s 2.4 GHz band. However, Philips bulbs use the Philips Hue Bridge to connect to the internet. Since it uses Zigbee, it is faster and has fewer interferences. It connects easily to all the devices. So, in short, if you want a device with no extra cost, then LIFX Mini is the one. If you are looking for a device that connects faster with no interference, then the Philips Hue Gen 3 is the one.
4. Entertainment
Like said earlier, Philips Hue Gen 3 has an exciting feature for entertainment. Buying a hub can provide you access to many cool features. The hub has features like the Philips Hue Entertainment. Through this application, you can adjust and control your lighting to your favorite music, game, or movie. The feature adds more fun and joy to your task, and you also have the option of selecting any shade of any color from the 16 million color range. But, the LIFX Mini does not provide any app for that sort, although you can still integrate with Philips Hue Sync App through third-party apps.
5. Bulb Base
Different homes have different socket types. So, every time we buy a brand-new bulb, we have to make sure it is compatible with most of the sockets. Keeping this in mind, Philips Hue Gen 3 and the LIFX Mini have some differences in them. The LIFX is compatible with E26, E27 Screw, B22 Bayonet fittings. However, the Philips Hue Gen 3 works with E26, E12, BR30, GU10, and PAR16.
6. Outdoor use
The LIFX bulb can be used outdoor as well. You can use the 16 million colors that come along with the LIFX Mini to lighten up or yard. But make sure you are not dipping it in water. You can also use it in moist areas like your bathroom. Philips Hue cannot be used outside or in your bathroom. However, other Philips bulbs are meant for outdoor use.
7. Warranty
In case of a warranty, the LIFX Mini falls behind the Philips Hue Gen 3. The LIFX Mini offers a warranty for only two years. But, the Philips Hue Gen 3 provides a warranty for three years. The difference is not huge, but it is good to be on the safer side with an extra one-year warranty. Another case where the extended warranty is good, is because of how expensive Philips products are, we always want to be backed up for a longer time.
8. Price
There is a huge difference when we talk about cost between Philips Hue Gen 3 and the LIFX Mini. LIFX Mini can be bought at a lesser price compared to Philips Hue Gen 3. The reason might be due to the new hub we will require when we buy the Philips Hue Gen 3. The difference is not huge if you are planning to get one or two bulbs. But if you want to equip your whole house with smart lights, then the LIFX might be a better choice.
The LIFX Mini and the Philips Hue Gen 3 both offer a variety of bulbs. If you are planning to stick on with the LIFX family, it has other bulbs like LIFX Mini Color, Day and Dusk, and the White Bulbs. Even Philips Hue lighting offers three different types of variates.
Three different bulbs in each brand have a single concept. It offers a plain light, a colorful light with a million colors, and the warm kind of lighting.
2. Application Control
Both LIFX Mini and Philips Hue Gen 3 has their app to control the lights. Through this app, you can adjust the lights either from your phone. The app not only works for a specific product, but you can control the entire LIFX products together. The devices also offer accessories like Hue light strip and the LIFX Tile. Through this, you can control the intensity from anywhere by just using an internet connection.
3. Switch
If you want to colorful lights in LIFX, and wish to control them, then you have to be online. But in Hue bulbs, it always requires you to keep the switch in ON position. The reason is that this is the only way it gets power. However, if you switch off, the bulb will give out a bright white glow.
4. Voice Assistants
Yet another factor we look into when buying a smart device is voice control. In both these brands, you can control them through various voice assistants. Voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, HomeKit, Cortana, and Google Assistants support these devices. You can control and adjust your lighting anywhere through a few voice commands.
5. Life Span
Both the LED bulbs offer a life span of 22.8 if used for three hours a day. If your device is connected to the central lighting system, you do not have to worry because it is known to work for around 25000 hours.
6. Dimension
Talking about size, both the LIFX Mini and Philips Hue are small. The smaller size allows them to fit anywhere on the top, and also makes it compatible to suit any socket you wish. With such a small size, these bulbs are packed with useful features and fantastic brightness.
Features And Technical Specifications of the LIFX Mini
LIFX Mini is one of the many affordable products LIFX has to provide. The LIFX Mini, just like the name, is tiny with a 60 x 60 x 105mm dimension. But the features within this little product is vast. It offers a light intensity of 800 lumens. The brightness is high due to the color temperatures that range from 2500K-9000K.
You can connect your bulbs easily to your Wi-Fi. The lamp also offers 16 million colors to play with, and you can choose the one that fits your mood. Unlike Philips, it does not require an extra hub to work and directly connects to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Once the bulb is connected, you can control these using voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana.
You can also adjust the bulbs using the LIFX app for iOS, Android, and Windows. When your offline, the bulbs function like regular lights. These bulbs can also be used outside, and even in your bathrooms. The light can spread over 250 degrees. Finally, LIFX offers 22.8 years warranty, so you can have more fun playing with these lights. If you are interested in lifex mini you should definitely check out how LIFX mini is different from LIFX plus and LIFX.
The Philips Hue Gen 3 is another fantastic product coming from the brand Philips. The smart bulb offers 16 million colors, and you can choose any from these shades. You can allow these lights to sync with your music, movie, or game and give out beautiful lights.
The brightness of this bulb is 806 lumens, but with fewer color temperatures ranging from 2000K-6500K. You can connect to the internet through the ethernet port using the Philips Hue Bridge. The bridge gives you access to many entertainment features.
You can also control these lighting using your voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant. There is an app as well for iOS and Android. The life span of the bulb is 22.8 years, with average use of three hours per day. If you really like Philips Hue Generation 3 you should check out, The basic difference between Philips Hue Generation 1, generation 2, and generation 3.
Things We Like
16 Million colors
Supports majority of Voice Assistants
The Life span of 22.8 years
Three years of warranty
Things We Don't Like
Requires a Hue Bridge for Connectivity
Expensive
Does not work outside
Lesser Beam Angle
FAQs
1. Is it fine to use TP Link in a enclosed fixture?
Yes, since they do not generate the heat, you can use them in an enclosed light fixture.
2. What is the life span of Philips Hue Gen 3?
The life span is 22.8 Years, with an average of three hours per day.
Bottom Line
If we had to recommend, we would choose the LIFX Mini. The reason is that it offers exciting features at a cheaper cost. You can also control your lightings directly, without a bridge or hub easily. Philips Hue Gen 3, on the other hand, is not bad at all, as it provides the entertainment feature. However, according to us, we would still go for the LIFX Mini.
Philips Hue Gen 3 - Editor's Choice
4.9
Summary
The Philips Hue Gen 3 is another fantastic product coming from the brand Philips. The smart bulb offers 16 million colors, and you can choose any from these shades. You can allow these lights to sync with your music, movie, or game and give out beautiful lights.
Jacob is our writer who is behind all the technical specifications detailing. He is passionate to evaluate the features and technology evolved in each and every product. It's his research and writing that tells you the how good or bad are the specifications and technical aspects. All the technical product reviews are written by him after weeks-long research, trial, and testing.
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