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Smart lamps are an awesome way to harness the power of Alexa, Google Home, and other voice assistants to control and customize the lighting in your home. You can choose multiple bulb colors, set schedules and scene options, and even adjust your lighting on the go.
John Velasco / Digital Trends
Philips Hue Iris
Best smart lamp overall
Pros
- Rich and vibrant colors
- Very bright light output
- Bluetooth connectivity option
- Unique-looking design
Cons
- It’s on the pricey side
- Can’t cycle through colors on its own
Philips Hue is highly esteemed in the world of smart lights, offering one of the most robust lineups in the industry. The Philips Hue Iris is its latest smart lamp, which is notable for its unconventional design. Taking some of its design cues from the previous Philips Hue Bloom, the Iris sports a more spherical design that makes it perfect as a spotlight on a desk. It’s great for accenting wall art, and there’s a bit of residual glow around its translucent base, too.
It doesn’t disappoint in its performance, delivering strong light that can light up corners and small spaces easily, and colors also have a deep, vibrant glow. That’s important when it comes to creating the right ambiance. And since it’s part of the Philips Hue family, it can be paired with other smart lights from the company to deliver some breathtaking light scenes.
Philips Hue Iris
Best smart lamp overall
Casper
The Glow Light from Casper
Best portable smart lamp
The Glow Light is a unique smart light in that it doesn’t change into a million different colors, and it can actually be controlled without the app. Just flipping the lamp from one end to the other activates it. The Glow Light is designed to help you fall asleep by starting out bright and gradually dimming over 45 minutes.
The Glow Light is also portable, which means you can take it with you if you wake up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water or navigate through a darkened home — and the light remains dim enough not to wake anyone else. Although the Glow Light can be controlled through gestures, there is an included app that gives you even more customization and power over the lamp.
The Glow Light from Casper
Best portable smart lamp
Modirnation
Modirnation Tree of Light Smart Table Lamp
Best smart lamp for the bedroom
If style is your chief goal, you’ll love this little LED light inspired by bonsai trees. It’s also very versatile — there’s a small Bluetooth speaker for playing soothing sounds from your mobile devices, and a Qi standard wireless charger for charging your phone. Touch controls allow you to adjust the brightness of the LED light, or press and hold to active a sleep mode that shuts off after 30 minutes.
The Modirnation Tree of Light is made of metal and cherry wood, and the LED light is a 20-watt equivalent, so you won’t be using it to light up a whole room, but rather as an accent or nightlight. Keep in mind that you may need to take thicker cases off of phones to successfully charge them wirelessly like this.
Modirnation Tree of Light Smart Table Lamp
Best smart lamp for the bedroom
Lepro
Lepro Smart Table Lamp
Best smart lamp for the living room
Cons
- Some challenges connecting to Wi-Fi
This affordable smart lamp is an excellent starter model with a wealth of control options, including an app that makes it easy to adjust color, tune your white light temperature, and adjust brightness. For those who want to dive deeper, you can also set timers and schedules for how the lamp behaves throughout the day. Users who want to keep it simple can adjust the lamp with the onboard buttons. It’s even compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant if you prefer to give voice commands or tie it into a routine.
We also like that the Lepro Smart Table Lamp cover diffuses the light enough that you can put this lamp nearly anywhere on the higher brightness settings without worrying about it becoming distracting. The lamp plugs into outlets with a USB-C cable and adapter, but if you have a compatible power bank, you can also turn it portable!
Lepro Smart Table Lamp
Best smart lamp for the living room
Globe Electric
Globe Electric Smart Table Lamp
Best smart lamp for the office
This elegant lamp from Globe Electric will be at home on any desk in your home office, but it houses surprisingly smart features that make it a major upgrade from any traditional desk lamp. Using the app, you can turn the 7-watt, 400-lumen bulb into any color or any color temperature you want for the exact look you need. Full scheduling is also enabled, and you can even control the lamp with Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant if you want. That also means it’s easy to set routines with those services if you want something beyond the modes that the app offers.
Note that the Globe Electric Smart Table Lamp is primarily downward-facing and designed to illuminate your desk activities. This model isn’t a good option for adding light to the entire room, just lighting your current work area. That’s a plus if there are other people in the room you don’t want to disturb, but it’s not a great pick for an accent light or greater illumination.
Globe Electric Smart Table Lamp
Best smart lamp for the office
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Amazon Echo Glow
Best smart lamp for kids
Pros
- Compatible with Alexa Routines
- Uses voice commands
- Has app control
- Kid-friendly
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not very bright
- Doesn’t dim with touch
- Needs an Alexa device for voice controls
The Amazon Echo Glow provides a significant amount of entertainment and functionality. It connects with any Echo product, and it’s interactive. Its unique Rainbow Timer can be enacted through a simple “set a timer for” command. It brings a fun, colorful light show to your space.
You’ll know the time is winding down when the glow color transitions. It can work as a visual cue to let you know if something is almost done cooking or let kids know it’s time to get ready for bed. The lamp can mimic a flickering flame, create a dance party atmosphere with its disco lights feature, and more. You can also set specific settings to prevent your child from accidentally finding inappropriate content. A subscription for Amazon FreeTime can limit your Echo Glow to kid-friendly audiobook and music titles.
Note: This product is different than the interactive Amazon Glow device.
Amazon Echo Glow
Best smart lamp for kids
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the advantages of smart lamps?
Smart lamps offer a lot of advantages over traditional lighting, the least of which is energy-saving. Smart LED lights use less power than halogen or fluorescent bulbs, and the scheduling features mean you can automatically turn the lights off at a certain time without lifting a finger.
You can also use smart lamps as security. If you can tie your lamp into the rest of your smart home and have it activate when a security system detects motion, you provide the illusion that someone is home even if the house is empty.
Smart lights can serve dedicated purposes that traditional lights can’t meet, such as the Glow Light helping you fall asleep or providing on-the-go illumination.
What should you consider when looking at smart lamps?
Smart lamps can become a staple product in your home. Many people are first exposed to smart products through smart lighting, and smart lamps are a direct extension of that. These lamps often feature equally as many (if not more) features than a standard smart bulb because they are designed from the ground up to serve a specific purpose.
When shopping for a smart lamp, first consider its use. Where do you want to place this lamp? Is it for reading, lighting up a room, or ambiance?
Consider whether the lamp needs to be plugged in at all times or if it can be placed after being charged. Lamps that don’t require a power connection provide more flexibility in placement throughout the room and are often best for ambiance instead of utilitarian lighting.
What features are included in the lamp? Some lamps can pulse the lights in time with music, while others can only cycle through colors on command. You should also consider how smart its smart features are. Does it work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, or can it only be controlled via the app?
What is your budget? Smart lamps range in price from $30 all the way up to $200 or more. Lamps that provide ambiance often cost more, but lamps that can light up a room or that aren’t from as well-known a brand can be found for lower prices.
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