Philips Hue Twilight Review – A superb but expensive sleep and wake-up table light

The Philips Hue Twilight is a new addition to the Philips Hue smart lighting ecosystem, designed to enhance sleep routines and provide a versatile lighting solution for the bedroom.

At £250, it is a premium priced product but I have grown to love it the past couple of weeks I have used it.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Philips Hue Twilight Smart Sleep and Wake-Up Lamp, White &...	No ratings yet		Buy on Amazon

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Specification

• Lumen output at 4000K: 1,380 lm
• Lifetime up to: 25,000 h
• Light colour: 2000-6500 Hue White Colour Ambiance
• Mains power: 100–240 V
• LED: Yes
• Built-in LED: Yes
• Wattage bulb included: 13.4
• IP code: IP20
• Dimensions: 33cm (H) x 15.9cm (L) x 16.4cm (W)

Features

One-Touch Sleep Automation

The Twilight allows users to initiate a “Go to Sleep” automation with a single button press. This feature gradually dims the bedroom lights until they turn off, helping to create a relaxing environment conducive to sleep.

Seamless System Integration

The Twilight’s buttons can control all smart lights in the bedroom or even throughout the entire home, making it a central hub for light management.

Ultimate Control

Users can control the Twilight through various methods:

• Philips Hue app
• Voice commands
• Smart switches
• iOS widget for the “Go to Sleep” automation

This flexibility ensures that users can always find a convenient way to adjust their lighting.

Exclusive ColorCast Technology

Philips Hue has developed a new LED arrangement that they claim projects colours more effectively than other gradient lights on the market. This technology should provide more vibrant and accurate colour reproduction.

Dual Light Source

The Twilight features two distinct light sources:

1. A front light that swivels left and right, ideal for reading
2. A back light that creates a gradient of colour for ambient lighting

This dual-light design allows the Twilight to serve multiple purposes effectively.

Ultra-Low Dimming

The Twilight can dim to very low levels, which is beneficial for gentle wake-ups and subtle night lighting. This feature helps maintain a sleepy state when needed.

Nature-Inspired Scenes

Six pre-set lighting scenes are designed to support the circadian rhythm:

• Sleepy (red-toned)
• Arise (brighter)
• Four additional sunlight-themed scenes

These scenes provide appropriate light spectrums for different times of day and activities.

Compact Design

The Twilight’s small footprint ensures it won’t dominate a nightstand, leaving room for other essentials.

Unboxing / Design

The Philips Hue Twilight arrives in packaging typical of Philips Hue products – sturdy and well-designed to protect the device during shipping. Upon unboxing, users will find:

• The Philips Hue Twilight lamp
• Power adapter
• Quick start guide
• Safety information

The Twilight’s design is sleek and modern, with a cylindrical base that tapers towards the top. The dual light sources are seamlessly integrated into the design, with the front light protruding slightly to allow for directional adjustment.

The lamp’s build quality is excellent, with a premium feel that justifies its high-end price point. The matte black finish (the colour reviewed) looks sophisticated and should blend well with most bedroom decors. The buttons on the lamp are tactile and responsive, providing satisfying feedback when pressed.

At 33cm tall, the Twilight strikes a balance between being substantial enough to provide adequate lighting and compact enough to fit comfortably on most bedside tables. The swivel mechanism for the front light feels robust and smooth, allowing for precise positioning of the reading light.

Set Up / Philips Hue App Settings

Setting up the Philips Hue Twilight is straightforward, especially for those already familiar with the Philips Hue ecosystem. For new users, the process involves:

1. Downloading the Philips Hue app (available for iOS and Android)
2. Plugging in the Twilight lamp
3. Opening the app and selecting “Add light”
4. Following the in-app instructions to connect the Twilight to your Hue Bridge or directly to your smartphone via Bluetooth

Once connected, the Twilight appears in the Philips Hue app, where users can access a wide range of controls and customisation options.

The app interface for the Twilight is intuitive and offers extensive functionality:

• Light control: The two front and rear lights have separate controls, giving you more versatility in how the light works. With each light you can adjust brightness, colour, and colour temperature.
• Scenes: Apply pre-set or custom lighting scenes
• Routines: Set up wake-up and sleep routines
• Timers: Schedule lighting changes
• Power-on behaviour: Define the default state when the lamp is switched on
• Software updates: Keep the Twilight’s firmware up to date

The app also allows users to group the Twilight with other Hue lights in the same room or create custom zones for synchronised lighting effects.

One of the standout features in the app is the ability to create and customise wake-up and sleep routines. Users can set gradual brightness changes that mimic sunrise or sunset, choosing the duration and final light settings. This level of customisation allows for a personalised sleep environment tailored to individual preferences.

In-Use

I have used the Twilight for the past couple of weeks and have been impressed.

Lighting Performance

The Twilight’s 1,380 lumen output at 4000K is impressive for a table lamp of this size. It provides ample light for reading or illuminating a bedroom. The colour reproduction is excellent, with vibrant hues and smooth transitions when using gradient effects.

The dual light source design proves to be more than just a gimmick. The front light works well as a reading lamp, with the ability to swivel allowing for precise positioning. The backlight creates a pleasant ambient glow, perfect for setting a relaxing mood in the evening or providing gentle illumination in the morning.

I have quite sensitive eyes and hate light shining directly into them, which is often a problem with table lamps. I placed the lamp on a small shelf above my head where it works great, but if it was on the table, the dual light design would be very useful for me. I’d keep the front light as low as possible while using the rear lights for more of the illumination.

The ultra-low dimming feature is particularly noteworthy. Unlike some LED lights that become flickery or shut off at very low brightness levels, the Twilight maintains a stable and incredibly dim light. This is ideal for use as a nightlight or for those who prefer a very gradual wake-up routine.

Sleep and Wake-up Functionality

The sleep and wake-up features of the Twilight are its primary selling points, and they generally deliver on their promises. The gradual dimming for sleep and brightening for wake-up feels natural and helps ease the transition between wakefulness and sleep.

The nature-inspired scenes are well-designed and effective. The “Sleepy” scene, with its red-toned light, is particularly useful for evening relaxation without disrupting melatonin production. The “Arise” scene provides an energising light that helps kickstart the day.

Controls and Integration

The physical buttons on the Twilight are a welcome addition, providing quick access to basic functions without needing to use the app or voice commands. The ability to control other Hue lights in the room with these buttons is convenient, effectively making the Twilight a bedside control hub.

Integration with the broader Hue ecosystem is seamless. The Twilight works well in routines involving other Hue lights and can be controlled via voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. This integration allows for complex automation scenarios, such as having the Twilight trigger a whole-home “good night” routine with a single button press.

In third-party ecosystems such as Home Assistant, the Twilight shows up as one device with separate controls for the front and rear lights. It can events from button presses, but there is no specific control for buttons, though you should be able to set up automations based on button press events.

App Experience

The Philips Hue app is superb and probably the best smart home app I can think of. It provides plenty of controls for the Twilight. Creating and modifying routines is intuitive, and the range of customisation options is impressive. However, some users might find the app overwhelming at first due to the sheer number of features and settings available.

One area where the app could improve is in providing more guidance on optimal light settings for different times of day. While the pre-set scenes are helpful, more education on how to use light to support circadian rhythms would be beneficial.

Price and Alternative Options

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Philips Hue Twilight Smart Sleep and Wake-Up Lamp, White &...	No ratings yet		Buy on Amazon

The Philips Hue Twilight is priced at £249.99, which makes it pricey even for Philips Hue.

If that is too expensive, Philips Hue has plenty of other options at a lower price point. They won’t be as good for the sleep features, but they are still well worth considering:

• Philips Hue Bloom Table Lamp: £80
• Philips Hue Go Portable Accent Light: £80
• Philips Hue Iris Table Lamp: £95
• Philips Hue Go Portable Table Lamps: £140
• Philips Hue Signe Gradient Table Lamp: £190

Alternatively, a Philips Hue bulb in a normal lamp works well, and it is what I happily used before the Twilight.

Verdict

The Philips Hue Twilight is a superb bedside lamp and far superior to using a Philips Hue bulb in a normal lamp or one of their existing table lamps.

It has a high lumen output, so it can illuminate a room quite well by itself while also being able to drop the lumens very low so you can use it as a nightlight or for a more gentle wake-up light than other products.

The dual light design and ColorCast technology allow it to produce attractive light scenes, and the lights are angled so that light doesn’t shine directly at you.

The dual buttons are handy, too, avoiding the need for a separate Hue wireless switch.

However, there is no denying that this is an expensive product, even for Philips Hue. It is certainly hard to justify when you can pick up the Go Table Lamp for £110 less.

That being said, for me, I still think it is worth it. As someone who struggles with sleep, I am willing to pay a premium for anything that will help improve the quality of my sleep and make it easier to get up in the morning.

Overall, for those who can justify the investment, the Philips Hue Twilight offers a premium sleep and wake-up light experience with the added benefits of full smart home integration.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.

Last update on 2024-08-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API