Philips Rounds Out Its LED Product Portfolio With Two New Bulbs

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Philips has released two new LED bulbs for residential use that have the potential to add some fun and personality to your space.

We have reviewed Philips LED bulbs in the past and had a great experience, so when the team at Philips reached out to us about the new bulbs, we eagerly agreed to run them through the paces.

Philips 60 Watt Equivalent LED Bulb with Warm Glow Effect

First up — the new Philips 60 watt equivalent glass LED with the “warm glow effect.” This bulb has the look of the old-school, visible-filament bulbs that have become so popular in hipster coffee shops around the world. While in Cyprus last week, we commented on just how prevalent they were in modern 3rd wave cafes. The downside of traditional bulbs like this is that, to look old school, they’ve had to be old-school incandescent bulbs — until today.

  • Brightness: 800 lumens
  • Estimated yearly energy cost: $1.02 (based on 3 hours/day, 11¢/kWh, costs depend on rates and use)
  • Life: 15,000 hours
  • Light appearance: 2700K
  • Power use: 8.5 watts (equivalent to a 60W halogen light bulb)
  • Lumens per watt: 94

As LED bulbs have come of age, the folks who build them have dreamed up new ways for us to interact with and light our spaces, and these are exactly that. There are other LED bulbs on the market that mimic the effect of these old-school bulbs, but the clarity of the glass and the crispness of the filaments in these Philips bulbs make them stand out just a bit more in my opinion.

Compared to a comparable bulb I picked up at IKEA (which has been an outspoken advocate for efficient lighting for years) that only uses 1.8 watts, these bulbs drink power at 8.5 watts each at full brightness. That increase in power consumption delivers a functional amount of light output at 800 lumens. Conversely, the IKEA bulb is effectively a purely decorative bulb.

The Philips Warm Glow bulb is also dimmable, which is a premium feature not found in most LED bulbs on the market. That gives owners the ability to fine tune the amount of light to create just the right mood. I’m not that kind of person, but my partner may or may not be someone who enjoys that level of nuance.

You can get more information on these bulbs over on the Home Depot page for them, where they sell for around $6 per bulb.

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Philips 65 Watt Equivalent BR30 SceneSwitch LED Bulb

Philips also just brought its new SceneSwitch LED bulb to the market. On the surface, this is just your run-of-the-mill BR30 bulb, which is built to be used in can lights around the world … but also has a trick up its sleeve. When installed, the color temperature of the bulb can be changed with a quick toggling of the light switch.

The function feels very analog compared to some of the newer, connected bulbs coming out, but at the same time, it is a very simple function, so why make it more complicated than it has to be with an app or remote control? The color temperature only changes with a quick toggling of the light switch, so it won’t continue to change color temperature every time you turn on the light, which is great because that would drive me nuts.

  • Brightness: 650 lumens
  • Estimated yearly energy cost: $0.96 (based on 3 hours/day, 11¢/kWh, costs depend on rates and use)
  • Life: 25,000-hours
  • Light appearance: 5000K
  • Power use: 8 watts (equivalent to a 65W halogen light bulb)
  • Lumens per watt: 81

At first, I was skeptical of the function, but the more I played with it and used it in daily life, the more I enjoyed it. We have it in the highest traffic location in the house — between our TV room and our kitchen — and it’s nice to be able to warm up and mellow out the light by putting it in warm mode when the TV is on, then cool it down a bit later. I’ve found that lighting has a massive effect on how awake my body thinks I am or should be and the ability to customize the lighting temperature helps me ease off towards sleep time or wake up more abruptly in the morning.

I’m not going to pretend that this is a must-have feature, but this niche product does give home and business owners more options to create the right light for all their spaces. Head over to the product page on Home Depot’s site for more info on the bulb or to purchase some for around $11 per bulb.

Disclaimer: We were not paid for this review, but Philips did provide these bulbs for review free of charge.


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Kyle Field

I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

Kyle Field has 1654 posts and counting. See all posts by Kyle Field