Philips Hue Go vs. Philips Hue Bloom: Which should you buy?

I See the Light

The Hue Go is brighter and more portable than the older Hue Bloom, and even though it costs a bit more, is still a solid choice when adding ambience to almost any room in your connected home.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Hue GoHue Bloom
Bulb Wattage6w8w
Lumen Output300120
Lifetime20,000 hours12,000 hours
PortableYesNo
On-device ControlYesNo
Colors16 million16 million

You already know what you're getting into if you're considering a Hue Bloom or Hue Go, but there are a few differences between the two that might sway things either way. Where the standard A19 Hue Bulbs can work in many lamps and light fixtures, the Bloom and Go are geared even more toward that ambient light for your living room, office, or bedroom.

The Hue Bloom has been around a bit longer than the Go, so it's a bit more well-known when it comes to setting and forgetting — you put it where you want it and there it stays. On the flipside, the Hue Go is meant to be taken where you need it when you need it. For example, I have my Hue Bloom up high on the top of my kitchen cabinets to light up my ceiling. With the Go, I wouldn't be able to use it in the same manner without losing the portability, which is one of the main selling points. So if you know you won't be moving anything around once you're set, the Hue Bloom might serve you just fine.

Where the Go really shines (yes, I went there) is not only in that it can be toted around wherever you need it, but also that you also have access to lighting settings right on the Go itself, so you don't need to use the app or any voice control to change up your lighting on the fly. Keep in mind too that where the Bloom is more of a "projection" light, the Go itself lights up and gives off more of a glow, though it's much brighter at 300 lumens versus the 120 lumens of the Bloom.

All that being said, don't expect to get too much "portable" use out of the Hue Go. While the battery isn't terrible, in most cases it's nowhere near the 3-hour time that Philips claims.

When it's all said and done, the Hue Go and Hue Bloom have many similarities across the board, but the Hue Go has those added features like portability, on-device controls, and a brighter light that justify the added cost. Just note that you will need a Hue Bridge to get it working, especially if you want to enable voice control.

Adam Zeis
Editorial Director - High Yield

Adam is the Editorial Director of High-Yield content at Future. Leading an outstanding team, he oversees many articles the publisher produces about subscriptions and services including VPN, TV streaming, and broadband. In addition to identifying new e-commerce opportunities, he has produced extensive buying guides, how-to-watch content, deal news, and in-depth reviews. Adam's work can be seen on numerous Future brands including TechRadar, Tom's Guide, T3, TTR, Android Central, iMore, Windows Central, and Real Homes.

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