Are you looking for perfect ambiance that blends into the background, or a bold lamp that makes a statement? This is the main question you’ll have to consider when comparing the Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris. Whether you’re looking for a low-profile light or a lamp that is a focal point in and of itself, one of these two lamps is sure to add color and convenience to your home.
Let’s break down the differences between the two lamps so you can get a better sense of which lighting solution will work best for your home.
Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris — Things in Common
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Color Range – Whether you opt for the Philips Hue Bloom or the Iris, you’ll have access to a huge range of hues — 16 million colors, to be exact. With a simple press of a button, you can change the look and atmosphere of your environment. It’s easy to add accents to your home, or light up a wall with a dazzling array of color. In short, one of the primary attractions of both the Hue Bloom and Iris is the ability to match pretty much any color scheme your heart desires.
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App Control – Whether you’re sitting on a couch or halfway around the world, it’s just as easy to control your Philips hue Bloom or Iris. With the intuitive smartphone app, all you need is an internet connection to adjust the various settings of your smart lighting system. It’s a lifesaver when you forget to turn off the lights on your way out the door, and adds peace of mind knowing that you can turn your lamps on or off from wherever you happen to be.
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Philips Hue Bridge – In order to control your Philips Hue Bloom or Iris, you’ll need to connect the device to a Philips Hue Bridge. The Bridge serves as a hub of sorts for Philips Hue products, and will also serve to connect your lamp to the larger Hue ecosystem should you choose to invest in smart light bulbs or perhaps a Philips lightstrip. Both lamps use ZigBee technology in order to communicate with the bridge, which is a common smart home frequency that is much faster and more reliable than WiFi.
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Colorful Entertainment – There are two Philips Hue Bridges, the first generation and new, square-shaped 2.0. If you have the latest generation of the Bridge, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Philips Entertainment features that add a fun, additional dimension to your new smart lamps. Through the Entertainment apps, you can do things like sync your lighting to your favorite movies or video games — dynamically adjusting the color of your Hue Bloom or Iris to match the action. While most people opt for smart lighting for the practical benefits, the entertainment features of the Hue ecosystem truly add a unique twist to the equation.
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Voice Assistants – Controlling the Hue Bloom or Iris via the app is probably the primary way in which you’ll control your lighting, but with integration with popular voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home, you can adjust settings at will, hands-free. Turn on the lights, dim them, or even recall previously programmed presets to make sure you have the right ambiance for any situation.
On aspect to note, however, is that HomeKit support only works if you have the Philips Hue Bridge 2.0. You can tell the bridge apart from its predecessor by its square shape.
Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris — Differences
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Difference #1: Brightness – One of the biggest differences between the Philips Hue Bloom and Iris is the brightness. You’ll notice a much stronger illumination from the Iris due to the rating of 210 lumens vs. the 120 lumens of the Bloom. Additionally, the Iris has a 10-watt LED bulb while the Bloom only has 8 watts of power. If you’re looking for a lamp to really light up a room, the Philips Hue Bloom may be the better option. Although, if illumination is your primary concern, you may be better served with the Philips Hue Go.
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Difference #2: Dimensions – If you’re looking to fit your lamp into a tight space, it’s important to note that there is a pretty significant difference between the Philips Hue Bloom and Iris when it comes to size. With dimensions of 5” x 4” x 5”, the Bloom will fit in tight quarters much easier than the Iris, with its dimensions of 9” x 6” x 7”. The Iris is much brighter, as mentioned above, but it’s also significantly larger — meaning that you’re going to have to find the space to fit a relatively large lamp.
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Difference #3: Designed for – As we just discussed, there’s a significant discrepancy when it comes to size when comparing the Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris, but that doesn’t necessarily mean one is better than the other. The two lamps are designed with different purposes in mind, and it’s easy to tell by the way in which they are constructed. With a discreet profile that is easily concealable, it’s simple to fit the Bloom into pretty much any area for some added ambiance or a splash of color.
The Iris, on the other hand, has more of a bulbous design and is best suited lighting up a wall. It’s large dimensions make it more of a focal point itself rather than a lamp easily hidden away, so if you’re looking for a discrete source of light, you may want to look elsewhere.
Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris — Comparison Chart
| Philips Hue Bloom | Philips Hue Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for accenting | Corner/Item | Wall |
| Design | Discreet | Bulbous |
| Concealable | More so | Less so |
| Brightness | 120 Lm. | 210 Lm. |
| Bulb Type | 8 W | 10 W |
| Dimensions | 5” x 4” x 5” | 9” x 6” x 7” |
Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris — Integration
Both the Philips Hue Bloom and Iris work well enough on their own, but part of the appeal in investing in these lamps is the access you gain to the “friends of Philips” — compatible smart home controllers and devices that interface seamlessly with your brand new lighting.
As mentioned above, both lamps work with the major voice controllers like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. However, the functionality can be further expanded by hooking your lamp up to a product from one of the many compatible brands.
Using IFTTT, you can even program your lights to accomplish some really cool things through automatic control. By taking advantage of the Nest security cameras, you can set your lights to turn on when motion is detected. Or perhaps you’d like to hook up to a device connected to your existing smart home controller like SmartThings, Xfinity Home, and Vivint.
With support for brands like Razer and Logitech, you can also integrate your lighting easily with your media — extending the capabilities of Philips Entertainment to other compatible products.
At the end of the day, when you buy into the Philips Hue ecosystem you’ll enjoy one of the most compatible and customizable smart lighting experiences on the market.
Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris — Accessories
While we’ve already gone over some of the impressive compatibility of the Philips Hue Bloom and Iris as far as third-party integration goes, the Philips Hue product family itself has some accessories that can take your lighting to the next level.
The most obvious candidates are the Philips Lights Bulbs that can connect with your Philips Hue Bridge to bring 16 million colors to pretty much any socket. Light Strips are a more recent release from the company that allow you to string customizable lighting pretty much wherever you have access to a plug.
For a closer look, take a gander at our Philips Hue 1 vs. 2 vs. 3 and Philips Hue Lightstrip vs. Plus comparisons where we go into detail on what makes these products special.
Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris — Our Thoughts
Perhaps the easiest way to express our thoughts on the Philips Hue Bloom vs. Iris comparison is to expand upon the design section we covered above. These two lights are similar in their support for 16 million colors and a number of other smart features, but they are designed with two completely different uses in mind.
If you’re looking for ambient lighting that will blend into any decor, the slim profile of the Philips Hue Bloom may be just what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for something a little more flashy, however, the bulbous design of the Philips Hue Iris certainly makes a statement — and the brighter light will bathe your walls in whatever color scheme you prefer.
All in all, you’re choosing between discrete and bold. Whichever option works better for your space gets our seal of approval.
If you’re looking for a second opinion, take a look at this discussion on reddit where Philips Hue owners chime in with their opinions on the two lighting solutions.
Last update on 2024-04-19 at 06:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
