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Engadget
24-06-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Philips Hue says US prices will go up in July because of tariffs
When Philips Hue's US prices go up next month, you can officially know who to blame. (Hint: It rhymes with "rump.") Parent company Signify told Hueblog (via The Verge ) that its price increases are "a direct result of tariffs." See how easy that was, Amazon? Before that confirmation, the company vaguely referred to an upcoming price increase. "Hurry, prices go up on July 1," marketing copy from earlier this month stated. Signify's statement to Hueblog doesn't mince words about Trump's trade war being the culprit. "Signify will increase prices on our Philips Hue portfolio in the US, effective July 1, 2025, as a direct result of tariffs," it wrote. "We remain committed to providing consumers with high-quality products and features that make smart lighting extraordinary. Signify reserves the right to modify prices based on new or additional tariffs becoming effective in the future." We don't yet know the exact price increases. The company says it will reveal them when they take effect on July 1. But there are some hints. The newly upgraded Hue smart button costs $32 compared to the old model's $25. If you think that's because it's a new version, the product stayed at the same €21.99 as its predecessor in Europe. Up to this point, the company's US pricing had been around a 1:1 conversion.
The Verge
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Philips Hue is raising prices in the US ‘as a direct result of tariffs'
You'll soon have to pay more for various Philips Hue smart lighting and security gadgets if you live in the US. After vaguely notifying customers that prices will 'go up' on July 1st in a promotional message, Philips Hue's parent company Signify has confirmed that it's inflating prices across the Philips Hue portfolio 'as a direct result of tariffs.' 'We remain committed to providing consumers with high-quality products and features that make smart lighting extraordinary,' Signify said in a statement to Hueblog. 'Signify reserves the right to modify prices based on new or additional tariffs becoming effective in the future.' Signify hasn't provided updated pricing or specified exactly which products will be affected, but its statement suggests the changes may impact the entire Hue lineup. The company is already starting to charge US customers more for products like the new $219.99 Hue Play Wall Washer light, which Hueblog notes is around 10 percent more than the €199.99 EU pricing when currencies are converted. The latest $32.99 Smart Button is also higher than the $24.99 launch price of its predecessor, while EU pricing has remained at €21.99 (about $25) for both. Hue's smart lighting is already some of the most expensive on the market, so the incoming price increases could entice consumers in the US to seek out more affordable alternatives. Some smart home tech providers may still be able to undercut Hue prices while facing down the same 125 percent Trump tariff rate on Chinese imports that are causing supply chain issues across the wider industry. And worryingly, Signify's statement suggests the company is prepared to raise US prices even further in the future, pending any more tariff changes. The new US pricing for Philips Hue products should be revealed next week when the official Hue store is updated. It may take a while longer for these changes to be reflected by third-party retailers.
The Verge
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Amazon has leaked Philips' new ambient wall light
Amazon's UK site has an early listing for what appears to be a successor to the Philips Hue Play Light Bar. The new Philips Hue Play Smart Wall Washer also casts an ambient glow on walls that can be synced to music and videos, but illuminates a wider area with better color output than its predecessor, thanks to 'precisely arranged LEDs.' The Hue Wall Washer appears to be a significant upgrade over the Light Bar, but it's considerably more expensive, too. The Light Bar is currently on sale for $69.99 (normally $89.99) or available in a two-pack for $159.99, while a single Wall Washer unit is £199.99, or around $270, according to Hueblog. It's expected to be released sometime in the next four months. With a design that appears similar to Philips' Hue Twilight smart sunrise lamp but without the forward-facing bedside lamp functionality, the Hue Play Smart Wall Washer projects up to 1,035 lumens of white or colored light that the company says 'covers three times as much surface in colorful light as other wall washers,' no matter how far you have it positioned from a wall. It accomplishes this using Philips' ColorCast technology, which angles the LEDs diagonally upwards. Standing just over 6 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide, the Wall Washer can be positioned behind or nearby a TV, and because it's made from aluminum with a matte finish instead of shiny reflective plastic, Philps says it 'won't catch any glare from the TV off the light itself.' Despite being over twice as bright as the Philips Hue Play Light Bar (which offers 500 lumens of illumination), the new Wall Washer features 'utra-low dimming' so it can be used to create a subtle lighting effect or even function as a night light. It's also Bluetooth compatible (there's currently no mention of Zigbee support on Amazon's listing) and can be controlled with voice commands through Google Assistant, Apple's Siri, and Amazon's Alexa smart assistants.
