Top 5 compared
The best E27 colour smart bulbs
A lamp that glows any colour for a film, then warm white for reading, set from your phone or by voice.
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The top 5 at a glance
E27 is the screw cap, sometimes called Edison screw, that most table and floor lamps take, along with plenty of pendants. Swap in a colour smart bulb and the lamp gains millions of shades as well as warm and cool whites, dimmed and timed from an app, with nothing to wire.
Govee, Tapo and WiZ connect to the router directly, while Philips Hue starts on Bluetooth and adds a Bridge for extras. Leave the lamp’s switch on, since a bulb with its power cut can’t hear the app, and smart bulbs aren’t made for dimmer switches. Bayonet ceiling lights have our B22 colour smart bulbs, and plain white bulbs our E27 white smart bulbs.
What matters
- Alexa, Google or Apple Home: whichever you already talk to.
- About 800 lumens for a lamp, more for a main light.
- A white range wide enough for reading and winding down.
- Multi-packs, which bring the cost per bulb down.
#1Govee Smart Bulbs H6008, E27, colour (2-pack)
£10–£20
Two Wi-Fi colour bulbs that need no hub, giving millions of shades and whites from warm to cool at 800 lumens, worked from an app, Alexa or Google. Against the Hue pair below, which earns a higher rating, they give up 300 lumens but cost less and need no Bridge for Apple Home.
What owners say: Good quality and quick to get going, by owners’ accounts, with a huge choice of colours and smooth running on Alexa, Google and Apple Home; for some, the Wi-Fi keeps dropping.
A closer look: Use them in lamps on an ordinary switch, as Govee says they can’t go on dimmer switches. Through Matter they also join Apple Home and SmartThings, and music mode listens through your phone’s microphone, so keep the Govee app open while the music plays.
- Music sync through the app
- Works with SmartThings
Best for: Table lamps that change colour
- White range
- 2700–6500K
- Brightness
- 800 lumens (60W)
- Hub needed
- None
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google; Apple Home through Matter
- Matter
- Yes
- Pack size
- 2 bulbs
#2Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance A60 smart bulbs, E27, 1100 lumens (2-pack)
£94.99 RRP
Philips Hue’s brighter colour bulb, 1,100 lumens each, sold as a pair, with Apple Home, routines and Philips TV sync once a Hue Bridge is added. It scores highest here but sits second: it costs more per bulb than the Govee, for 300 more lumens and extras that need a Bridge.
What owners say: Owners love the colour range, the brightness and how easily they set up, and find them reliable and long-lasting, though pricey.
Heads up: A newer model is out: Philips Hue now sells an updated White and Colour Ambiance A60 E27 1100 bulb, and this pair is the earlier one, still sold new.
A closer look: With a Hue Bridge, a Philips Ambilight TV or the Hue Sync app can make these follow what’s on screen; without one, they run room by room from the app over Bluetooth. At 1,100 lumens each, a pair in two pendants can light a whole kitchen or living room.
- TV sync with a Bridge
Best for: Bright kitchens and living rooms
- White range
- 2000–6500K
- Brightness
- 1,100 lumens (75W)
- Hub needed
- None (Bridge optional)
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google; Apple Home with a Bridge
- Matter
- Through a Hue Bridge
- Pack size
- 2 bulbs
#3Philips Hue Essential A60 smart bulb, E27, white and colour
£19.99 RRP
The simple way into Philips Hue, the range that first went on sale in Apple Stores in October 2012. It runs from the Hue app over Bluetooth and answers to Alexa and Google through an Echo or Nest speaker; a Hue Bridge adds Apple Home and lights in time with films and music.
What owners say: Dependable and simple to set up, owners say, with a wide range of colours, smooth dimming and good brightness.
A closer look: Start in the app over Bluetooth with a room or two, then add a Bridge when you want the extras, such as control from outside the home and Hue’s home security features. The bulb carries on working the same way once the Bridge arrives, so nothing bought early is wasted.
- Works without Wi-Fi
- Dims down to 2%
- Works with other Hue lights
Best for: A first Philips Hue bulb
- White range
- 2200–6500K
- Brightness
- 806 lumens (60W)
- Hub needed
- None (Bridge optional)
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google; Apple Home with a Bridge
- Matter
- Through a Bridge or Thread hub
- Pack size
- 1 bulb
#4Tapo L530E smart bulbs, E27, colour (2-pack)
£23.99 RRP
TP-Link’s colour Tapo bulbs in a screw cap, two to a box, with 16 million colours, warm to cool whites, and sunrise and sunset modes that follow the time of day. Control can be shared with the family in the Tapo app.
What owners say: Owners like the colours and the dimming, call the setup simple and say they work well with Alexa. Some report bulbs failing after a week, the connection is mixed, and so is how quickly they respond.
A closer look: If you already use Tapo plugs or cameras, the bulbs join the same app and its automations, such as a lamp coming on when a camera spots movement. Pairing needs your router’s 2.4GHz band, and TP-Link covers them for two years.
- Sunrise and sunset modes
- Share control with family
- Two-year warranty
Best for: Homes already using Tapo kit
- White range
- 2500–6500K
- Brightness
- 806 lumens (60W)
- Hub needed
- None
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google
- Matter
- No
- Pack size
- 2 bulbs
#5WiZ Smart Colour A60 bulbs, E27 (2-pack)
£10–£20
Two colour bulbs from WiZ, made by Signify, the company behind Philips Hue, that join your Wi-Fi with no hub and work with Alexa, Google and, through Matter, Apple Home. With the two in one room, SpaceSense turns them on when someone walks in.
What owners say: Owners like the quality of the light, the colours and the value, and found them quick to get going, though some say the bulbs lose their connection often.
A closer look: SpaceSense reads changes in the Wi-Fi signal between the two bulbs, so keep them in the same room and switch it on in the WiZ app, where schedules are set too. For Apple Home, add each bulb as a Matter device from the Home app, which needs a home hub such as an Apple TV or HomePod.
- Motion sensing from the pair
- Schedules in the WiZ app
Best for: Motion lighting from one box
- White range
- 2200–6500K
- Brightness
- 806 lumens (60W)
- Hub needed
- None
- Voice assistants
- Alexa, Google; Apple Home through Matter
- Matter
- Yes
- Pack size
- 2 bulbs
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Govee H6008 | #2Hue 1100 (2-pack) | #3Hue Essential | #4Tapo L530E | #5WiZ Colour (2-pack) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | £10–£20 | £94.99 RRP | £19.99 RRP | £23.99 RRP | £10–£20 |
| White range | 2700–6500K | 2000–6500K | 2200–6500K | 2500–6500K | 2200–6500K |
| Brightness | 800 lumens (60W) | 1,100 lumens (75W) | 806 lumens (60W) | 806 lumens (60W) | 806 lumens (60W) |
| Hub needed | None | None (Bridge optional) | None (Bridge optional) | None | None |
| Voice assistants | Alexa, Google; Apple Home through Matter | Alexa, Google; Apple Home with a Bridge | Alexa, Google; Apple Home with a Bridge | Alexa, Google | Alexa, Google; Apple Home through Matter |
| Matter | Yes | Through a Hue Bridge | Through a Bridge or Thread hub | No | Yes |
| Pack size | 2 bulbs | 2 bulbs | 1 bulb | 2 bulbs | 2 bulbs |
| Best for | Table lamps that change colour | Bright kitchens and living rooms | A first Philips Hue bulb | Homes already using Tapo kit | Motion lighting from one box |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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