Statement light bulbs, plus new light strips and a handy new automation are all coming soon

Signify has been pumping out smart lights under the Philips Hue brand for nearly a decade now, if you can believe it. Over the years, the Hue lineup has grown to include a wide variety of bulbs, lamps, light strips, and fixtures. This week, Signify announced its Hue offerings are expanding further: there's a whole mess of new Philips Hue smart lighting products coming this fall, including some interesting new bulbs, a gaming-oriented light strip, and more.

Hue's fall lineup is headlined by the new Lightguide bulbs: oversized, orb-style light bulbs available in three shapes. The bulbs support full color control, but like all color Hue lights, can also be set to more conventional tints. They work with a Hue bridge, or without (over Bluetooth). The Globe and Triangle versions will retail for a spendy $75 apiece, while the ovular Ellipse will go for a staggering $90. Those prices are extremely high for single light bulbs, but the Lightguide bulbs are meant to be decorative, and Hue says they should last about a decade with normal use. Hue-branded pendant cords will also be available for $50, but the Lightguide bulbs will work in any standard lamp. They're coming sometime before the end of the year.

Hue is also introducing a version of its Filament candle bulbs with adjustable color temperature. They'll retail for $45 apiece—a $10 markup from the soft white version—or $65 for a two-pack. You'll be able to get your hands on them starting September 13.

Hue is introducing a new light strip made for PC gaming. The aptly named Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip for PC comes in three sizes: one for single 24" and 27" monitors, one for single 32" and 34" monitors, and a longer version made for setups using three 24" or 27" screens. Similar to other Hue Play products, the strips sync up with your PC to create ambient lighting that matches the action on your screen. The smaller single-monitor strip will go for $170, the bigger one for $190, and the three-monitor setup will cost $280. There's also new integration with Corsair iCue to sync the strips with your PC's RGB lighting.

There's a new low-profile downlight Hue says is meant to be installed in areas where traditional recessed lighting can't be. It's fully color-customizable, and can reach a maximum brightness of 1,200 lumens. It's impressively slim, but it does still need to be wired and installed in your ceiling. The Hue slim downlight will retail for $70. Hue says it's available now, but it doesn't appear to be on sale yet, directly from Hue or from retailers.

Finally, Hue highlighted a few upcoming changes to its software. The Hue Sync app will be folded into the standard Hue app by the end of the year, streamlining the control experience for people with a lot of different types of Hue products. Also by the end of the year, a new SmartThings integration is coming that'll let you sync your Hue lights to music from "most streaming services" if you've got a Samsung phone. Like most of what Hue announced this week, that integration is coming later in the year.

A new automation called "Mimic presence" will turn your Hue lights on and off automatically around the times you normally do so manually, to make it look like you're home when you're away. Hue already offered an option that turns lights on and off at random times, but a routine that more closely mimics your habits should be a more effective deterrent for would-be bandits. The new automation should be coming in the next couple of weeks.

The new Hue lights aren't cheap, but Hue's typically a higher-end smart lighting brand. If you're in the market for something a little less pricey, you can read our guide to the best smart lights—we've got picks starting around 15 bucks. For more Hue, check out our guides on setting up your Hue Sync Box and connecting your bulbs to the Google Assistant.

Taylor was an amateur phone nerd for the better part of a decade prior to joining Android Police in 2018, where he's since authored more than a thousand articles about all things Android. Taylor serves as Gadgets Editor, and you'll see his byline on editorials, reviews, comparative buyer's guides, and technical explainers, as well as the occasional piece of breaking news. He's got soft spots for personal audio, wearable tech, smart lights, and mobile photography. There's a good chance he's carrying a Pixel phone right now. In his time away from AP, you'll probably catch Taylor hanging out with his two dogs, playing Xbox, or out shooting with his beloved Fuji X-T20. Send him memes and fan mail at taylor@androidpolice.com.