It’s great to see that Philips is continuing to evolve and bring out a whole new range of smart Candelabra WiFi bulbs, in its Hue range.
Today we are going to look at their newest product. The tiny Philips Hue candelabra E12 Candle bulb. It’s rated at 40w but only requires 6 watts of power to run saving you money in the long term. (6.5 watts for the color version.)
They are a direct replacement for your old inefficient incandescent light globes. They can both do white light, but only the Hue white and color ambiance E12 candle globe is able to do the 16 million different colors.
These Philips Hue E12 LED smart light globes are designed to fit candelabra lamp types in bars, nightlights, chandeliers, fans, candle lights, compact spaces, and more.
Now you are able to choose the perfect light setting and brightness for any mood or activity. As I love to read at night, I can select options like relaxing, concentrating, or energizing, all with wireless control from my smartphone or tablet.
Table of Contents
Philips Hue 40 watt equivalent LED candelabra bulb specs
| Candelabra WiFi Bulb types |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Style | White Ambiance | White and Color Ambiance |
| Material | Glass | Glass |
| Voltage | 120 volts | 120v |
| Wattage | 6 watts – Similar to 40w incandescents | 6.5 watts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 | 1 |
| Type of Bulb | Smart LED | Smart LED |
| Luminous Flux | 800 lm | 450 lm |
| Usage | Indoor use only | Indoor use |
| Shades of White | 50 thousand. | 16 million shades of color. |
| Included Components | 1 Hue White Ambiance E12 dimmable Candelabra Wifi Bulb | 1 Hue White and Color dimmable E12 Wifi Candelabra Bulb |
| Batteries Required? | No | No |
| Warranty Description | Indoor use only | Indoor use only |
| Where to Buy Smart E12 Globes |  |
|
Philips Hue daylight candelabra bulbs E12 review
Just like all the other Philips Hue range of globes, these smaller E12 fitting globes will require the use of the Philips Hue bridge to get the most out of them. If you don’t have one yet, then check out our full Hue bridge review and where to buy one here.
The Hue bridge or Hub will enable you to do remote dimming through either your smartphone, tablet, Hue wall dimmer switch or the Hue click wall button.
There are two different types of these smart candelabra WiFi globes:
- White Ambience
- White and Color Ambience
Both can do white light, but only the color can do the 16 million colors that most of the other Philips Hue bulbs can do. They are a great 40-watt equivalent led candelabra bulb.
What they both do well is able to adjust the white light color. From warm sunlight to cool daylight, you can set the perfect scene. We like the warm light the best. The White ambiance globes are also brighter at 800lm due to only having the white LEDs.
The mini color Hue candle globe has to be able to fit in the colors LEDs, this means removing some of the white LEDs to make space for them. It is a very small light globe.
Auto lighting control
Another cool feature that we use a lot is the auto-on with using the optional smart Hue motion sensor. We set the lights to only come on between 7 pm and 7 am. This way if you need to get up in the night these lamps will slowly turn on letting you walk through the many obstacles in our bedrooms. Saving power due to not auto-turning on during the day.
For this function to work you will need to keep the light switches in the on positions. If you do need to override this setting its simple to just either use your phone to turn the light on or just switch the light switch off and then on again.
Which of these candelabra globes are the brightest?
I have found that the Philis Hue white light only is the brightest out of these two. At 800 lux compared to 450 lux for the color version. So these are obviously a lot more white LEDs packed into this small space.
But we wanted the color version so most of our candelabra wifi bulbs are in the color version. It’s a little bit more of an outlay in cost but for us having the options to spice up our chandeliers on special festive days like Christmas, Halloween and Birthdays make these e12 base LED light bulbs perfect.
What is the Hue communications protocol?
Philips Hue uses the ZigBee Light Link protocol. Also known as ZigBee LL. The Hue bridge does all the heavy work in very user-friendly settings.
Each smart Hue light globe will communicate to the Hue Bridge and receive the commands to perform special functions like On, Off, dimming, and color changing.
The Philips Hue e12 candelabra WiFi bulb can also be auto-updated to the latest firmware from the Hue Bridge.
The Philips Hue bridge will connect to your WiFi network to give you full control of all your light bulbs. It’s the main brain of the lighting system but it’s really small so you can tuck it out of the way.
Features of the mini Philips Hue E12 bulb
- Wirelessly control your light from your smartphone or tablet. Choose the perfect light setting for any mood or activity such as reading or relaxing, concentrating, or energizing. Free Android and Apple apps are available
- Requiring the Hue Bridge (sold separately) for the full Hue experience.
- This E12 LED smart light is designed to fit candelabra lamps, chandeliers, small recessed fittings, and more.
- Easy to install this LED light as you would install an ordinary bulb. Simple one-off pairing instructions are included with the Hue Bridge and your other Hue lights. Which in turn allows you to control smart-bulb-equipped lights via the Philips Hue App.
- Expand your lighting system over time with accessories like the Hue Dimmer Switch, Hue Tap, and the excellent Hue Motion Sensor. Pair it for automation with your existing Nest or SmartThings system.
What is an E12 fitting?
There are many different shapes and styles of light globes on the market. To provide a close fit to an electrical socket manufacturers must design the termination point to fit snugly into the socket.
The most common type is the Bayonet cap and Edison screw. Variations of these types are as follows:
The E12 fitting means it’s an Edison Screw smaller than E26 and E14. It was developed by Thomas Edison. The number means its size in mm. So an E12 fitting is 12mm in diameter.
By Medvedev – Own work, CC0, Link
Works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa
I love Philips Hue globes. Sure they are slightly expensive but I have yet to have one fail on me. I was excited when they released these E12 smart globes. Mainly due to the fact I cannot use them in my small overhead bedroom fan light fitting.
Many of the older compact fluorescent (CFL) globes would fail over the year, so I’m now saving money due to the great reliability.
These glass light shades were so small that I couldn’t fit the standard Generation 3 Hue globe.
With our whole hose now connected to the Google Home voice assistant its great to be able to leave the house and say”Hey Google turn off all the lights” All the lights would then turn off. If you would like to know more cool things to ask google, then check out our Google Home voice commands post here.
Works with Amazon Echo, Tap, and Echo Dot. AS WELL as Google Home, when used with Gen 2 Hue bridge
E26 E27 to E12 Candelabra Socket Adapter – Reducer
These E26/E27 to E12 adapters are UL-listed and CE-certificated. They are perfect to be able to use your Philips Hue candelabra bulbs in a normal-sized light fitting.
They are made from fire retardant PBT material, 200D heat-resistant, so you can feel safe that you are using a quality product, not a fire hazard.
I use these in fanlights to reduce the size down to the Philips Hue E12 bulb. It is best to hand screw these onto your light bulbs first and then screw the whole fitting into the light socket.
How much extra length will these reducers add to the globe?
These reducers will only add about 1/4 inch. Edison screw to Edison screw adapters is great for keeping the total overall size down. Its when you change to a bayonet cap (BC) is when you will add a lot more overall length.
Being only one inch tall. They will fit almost flush in a standard light socket.
Candelabra WiFi Bulb Conclusion
It’s nice to see real development and research from Philips. They really have a winner with their Hue range of globes and these mini candelabra smart globes are a nice addition to the range.
We have decked out our whole home now in these smart Hue globes, and come to really appreciate and love the extra mood lighting we have each day and night.
They do cost a little bit to first start off but you will save over time with reduced electricity bills and savings on not having to replace your burnt-out bulbs so often.
We have used Philips Hue globes for 3 years now and we have not had a single one fail. (touch wood). With a fantastic warranty and great Ios and Android applications, it really takes us into the world of Home Automation.
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