Best cheap smart LED light bulbs 2021

Best cheap smart LED light bulbs Android Central 2021

• Best overall: LiFX A19 Bulb
• Best for smart home set-up: Sengled Smart Light Bulb
• Best for integration: Philips Hue A19 LED Smart Bulb
• Best budget: Lumiman Smart WiFi Light Bulb
• Best for Microsoft: TP-Link Kasa Smart Bulb
• Best for brand reputation: C by GE Direct Conncet Smart Bulb
• Best for parties: Houkiper Color-Changing LED Light Bulb
• Best features: Smart Wyze Bulb

Best overall: LiFX A19 Bulb

When it comes to simplicity of use and affordable pricing, you can't go wrong with this handy light bulb. It can replace any standard A19-sized 11W dimmable bulb to display up to 16 million colors, including both warm and cool whites. Because it has built-in Wi-Fi, you don't need a separate hub, making it easy to set up.

You can control it from the mobile app as well as by voice using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit with a compatible smart speaker. With a beam angle of 135 degrees and a life span of 22.8 years based on using it up to three hours a day, it also employs a pretty funky look.

Best for smart home set-up: Sengled Smart Light Bulb

If you are adding this bulb to an existing smart home, or looking to expand to create one, it's a perfect complement, able to be used with scenes and routines. It works with both Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control with a compatible smart speaker. You can also add it to scenes and routines with SmartThings and Wink when paired with a compatible hub, like the Sengled Smart Hub or Wink or Alexa devices that have built-in hubs.

Available individually or in 2-, 4-, or 8-pack kits, it can become a part of a larger smart home set-up. Plus, it's energy-efficient using 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs. The beam angle is 240-degrees so you can get the light right where you want it.

Best for integration: Philips Hue White A19 LED Smart Bulb

One of the most popular brands in this space, this bulb is ideal if you plan to use several different smart devices in the home, including multiple bulbs. Ideal for those looking to expand beyond just a single bulb, Philips Hue bulbs can be set up for whole-home systems. Add up to 10 Hue Bluetooth or Zigbee bulbs to the system and control them via an app, voice, or as part of an existing Hue system.

Control the lights from home or even while you're away using the mobile app. You can also add accessories like motion sensors and smart switches and control them all through the same interface. And with a life span of up to 22 years or 25,000 lifetime hours based on industry averages, you don't have to worry about replacing them.

Best budget: Lumiman Smart WiFi Light Bulb

With Lumiman you'll get two bulbs for less than the price of a pizza, making this one of the most affordable and highly rated smart light bulbs. These bulbs work with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant and connect directly to Wi-Fi so you don't need to bother getting a hub.

By downloading the PLUSMINUS app you can operate the bulbs while you're away from home, as well as adjust light modes and brightness so you create the perfect setting. In addition, you're able to set schedules, timers, and control multiple bulbs at once by creating a group.

Best for Microsoft: TP-Link Kasa Smart Bulb

If you use Microsoft Cortana as your voice assistant of choice, this is the perfect smart bulb for you. It can be controlled by Microsoft's Cortana digital assistant as well as Alexa and Google, providing additional voice control options. And it has the added benefit of direct connection to Wi-Fi, no hub needed, making set up a breeze.

You'll get multi-colored options for light to match whatever your mood or occasion. Control it from anywhere using an Android or iOS device, including dimming the lights, changing the color, and turning the lights on and off.

Best for brand reputation: C by GE Direct Connect Smart Bulb

In terms of brand recognition when it comes to lighting, you can't get any better than GE. These color-changing bulbs come with voice control, millions of colors, and the ability to add them to smart home scenes and schedules. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices and works with both Alexa and Google for voice control.

As a bonus, no hub or bridge is required to get this smart bulb lighting up your living room. It connects to Wi-Fi directly and you can control it away from home through the Cync mobile app should you ever forget to turn the lights off. In addition to a full-color bulb, you have the choice of tunable white or soft white in a single or double pack.

Best for parties: Houkiper Color-Changing LED Light Bulb

While this bulb isn't technically smart like the others, per se, unable to be controlled by voice or a mobile app, it does come with a smart remote that can be used for controlling it from across the room. It's a simple solution for those who aren't ready to delve full-speed into the smart home.

There's no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection needed. Instead, it communicates with the included remote via infrared (IR), which can control more than one bulb. Select from 16 static colors or choose from four modes, including static, flash, strobe, and fade. The light will even remember the last color you used and activate that when you turn it on again.

Best features: Smart Wyze Bulb

Wyze is making a name for itself when it comes to smart home products, and the Wyze Bulb is no exception. These super bright bulbs go up to 1,100 lumens, offer 16 million colors, and have white light temperature control to really get the right lighting to fit your mood. Even better, this Wyze bulb has an advanced Color Rendering Index (CRI), meaning that colors (like navy vs. black in your closet) are more brilliant and truer to their natural form.

You can even create visual notifications and reminders with Wyze lights through the app, and you can create custom lighting routines. For instance, you can have your bulbs illuminate or darken with time so you know when it's time to stop working and go to bed. And of course, these bulbs work with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Bottom line

The LiFX A19 bulb is a winner in this category and among some of the best smart light bulbs you can find today. It checks all of the necessary boxes in terms of what you want from a smart bulb and works with all the popular voice assistants so you can control it by voice and set it as part of scenes and schedules. It offers 16 million colors from which you can choose. It also has built-in Wi-Fi so you can directly connect it to your home's network instead of using an optional hub that you need to buy separately. And it can replace pretty much any standard A19 sized bulb.

Plus, it's dimmable so you can set not only the perfect color for your mood but also the right brightness level. And with 1,100 lumens, this bulb shines bright when desired. It's an ideal smart light to get any smart home started or to expand an existing one.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Christine Persaud has been writing about consumer tech for almost 18 years, before the smart home even existed, and has been working as a freelancer for the last six. Today, she lives in a fully automated home with her husband and son, where everything from the lights to the blinds, security, TV, and music can be controlled from a smartphone or voice.

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