The 2024 Philips Hue GU10 smart color light bulbs are a solid upgrade over their predecessors, delivering better brightness, improved energy efficiency, and all the smart features you’d expect from a Hue smart bulb. However, with a high price tag and the absence of waterproofing, they aren’t a perfect fit for every home, especially for those looking for a more budget-friendly option. Nevertheless, if you’re already deep into the Hue ecosystem, or want the best color performance in a GU10 format, they’re hard to beat.
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Super bright -
Great colors -
Longer lifespan -
Zigbee and Bluetooth
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Very expensive -
Not waterproof -
Bridge needed for full feature set
Philips Hue GU10 smart light bulb
- Lighting type: GU10 smart light bulb
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, Zigbee
- Ecosystems: Matter, Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings
Back in June, Signify took the covers off of a load of new smart bulbs, with the likes of the Twilight and the relaunched Lightguide bulbs grabbing most of the attention, with the revamped GU10s slipping under the radar.
However, on closer look we noticed there had been some pretty significant upgrades to the 2024 GU10 Hue bulbs, so we thought we better get some in for testing.
The latest GU10 smart color bulbs boast notable bumps in brightness, efficiency, and lifespan.
While some of these improvements are incremental, they add up to a significantly better product overall, perfect for enhancing mood lighting and practical illumination alike.
Read on for our full Philips Hue GU10 review to find out more.
Design and installation
- GU10 fitting
- Not waterproof
The 2024 GU10 bulbs have undergone a slight design tweak, now flatter than their predecessors, with a height reduced by just 1mm to 57mm.
Though a small change, this helps them fit into more recessed fittings with ease. The diameter remains at 50mm, so there are no compatibility concerns for existing GU10 light fixtures.
Installing the bulbs is as straightforward as ever. Thanks to Bluetooth functionality, you can connect and control the lights direct to your phone without the Hue Bridge.
However, for full access to advanced features – like syncing with your smart home ecosystem, using Hue effects, and managing a larger system – you’ll want to integrate them into a Zigbee setup via the Hue Bridge.
However, think about where you want your them to go, because they are not waterproof, so they aren’t officially recommended for bathroom use, which is where many people tend to want GU10 bulbs.
While you can use waterproof IP-rated enclosures, it’s a workaround rather than a solution Hue explicitly supports and not one I’d recommend.
There are a few caveats to consider though… and I can’t ignore that price. A solitary Hue 400 GU10 smart bulb costs $54.95 / £59 and, while a three-pack offers a slight discount, it’s still a hefty investment for lighting.
Govee has a similarly spec’d bulb available at around $10 / £10 per bulb as park of a 4-pack, and Signify’s own Wiz GU10 range is also around half the price.
If you’re only after basic lighting features but still inside your Hue system, there are cheaper white-only alternatives available for around the $20 / £20 mark, but they won’t offer the same color range or smart features.
Features
- 400 lumens at 400K
- Millions of colors
- Hue effects available
The upgraded 2024 Hue GU10 bulbs offer a significant boost in brightness. With 400 lumens at 4000K, they outshine the previous generation’s 350 lumens, providing plenty of light to illuminate your space more effectively.
The older ones are still on sale though, so make sure you look for a ‘400’ label on the box so as you know you’re getting the latest models. (In the US, they are actually rated at 450 lumens.)
Philips Hue’s signature RGB and tunable white color options (2000K-6500K) remain, with great saturation and vibrancy. Whether it’s creating a warm, cozy glow or a bright, energizing workspace, the color range is fantastic, giving you endless options to suit any mood.
For those concerned with energy efficiency, this new generation shines brighter in more ways than one. The wattage has dropped from 5.7 watts to 4.2 watts, alongside a halved standby consumption of just 0.25 watts.
This gives the bulbs an upgraded energy efficiency rating of E, compared to the G rating of their predecessors.
Lifespan has also improved, now offering an impressive 25,000 hours, making this a longer-term investment in your smart lighting system.
Perfomance
In my testing, I found that the new Hue bulbs performed excellently across a variety of settings.
The brightness boost is evident, with the 400 lumens being enough to light up medium-sized rooms – I tested a 3-pack in my kitchen that has 12 GU10 fittings and, even at 50% on a warm white, that was plenty to adequately light up the whole room.
On 100% cool white, it wasn’t exactly a nice kitchen effect, but I could see that working in a study or an office where you’d want some bright light for concentration.
I also played around with the millions of colors on offer, creating nice effects using some of the Hue pre-set recipes.
It’s clear that Hue’s attention to detail in color rendering continues to excel, with deep, rich colors and smooth transitions that bring a space to life.
The beam angle remains unchanged at just over 40 degrees, providing focused yet ample coverage.
The ultra-low dimming is also a stand-out feature, going far lower than competitor GU10 bulbs. In side-by-side tests with Innr GU10s in my kitchen, the Philips Hue bulbs offered far superior dimming performance, making them ideal for ambient settings where you want just a hint of light.
App Control and Smart Integration
Controlling the bulbs through the Hue app is intuitive and smooth, with access to all of Hue’s advanced effects and customization options.
Pairing them with the app over Bluetooth is simple enough, though the Zigbee integration via a Hue Bridge – rather than direct to the likes of an Echo Hub or a Homey Pro – unlocks the full suite of features.
Hue’s signature effects, such as ‘Candle’ and ‘Fireplace,’ work really well on these bulbs.
While not required, using the Hue Bridge allows you to incorporate the GU10 bulbs into your broader smart home ecosystem too, whether that’s via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit.
Without the Bridge, you lose out on some of the smart capabilities, making it less feature-rich in Bluetooth-only mode.
Final thoughts
Philips Hue has once again demonstrated why it’s the leader in smart lighting with its 2024 GU10 smart color light bulbs. These bulbs excel in energy efficiency, color performance, and app control, making them a top choice for anyone looking to enhance their smart home.
However, the high price tag and the lack of waterproofing for bathroom use might make some consumers hesitate.
Ultimately, if you’re willing to pay a premium for smart features and long-lasting performance, these GU10s are a great addition to your Hue setup. For everyone else, there are more affordable alternatives that may suffice.
How we test
When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.
Smart lights usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a connected light for a week and deliver a verdict.
Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular light compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.
Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.
Read our guide on how we test smart lights to learn more.
FAQs
Yes, these bulbs support both Bluetooth and Zigbee. You can use them without a Hue Bridge via Bluetooth, but you’ll miss out on advanced features like smart home integrations, routines, and remote control outside your home. For full functionality, it’s recommended to use a Hue Bridge.
The color version of the 2024 GU10 bulbs offers full RGB lighting with 16 million colors and tunable white (2000K-6500K), while the Hue White GU10 bulbs are limited to shades of white. The Hue White bulbs are also significantly cheaper, starting at around £20, compared to £59 for a single color bulb.
These are the previous gen Hue G10s, with a 350 lumens brightness.
Not officially no, they don’t have an IP rating at all. Philips Hue recommends using their official bathroom-rated products for better protection in humid environments.
