LIFX Z vs. Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus | Differences Explained

When it comes to comparing the LIFX Z vs. Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus, will you opt for the brighter light that’s easy to install right out of the box? Or are you more interested in smart home integration and entertainment features?

Both smart lightstrips have their benefits and drawbacks, and we’ll go into detail on each below. Let’s get started!

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LIFX Z vs. Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus — Easy Comparison Chart

	Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus	LIFX Z
Energy Cost	20.5W	17W
Lumen Output	1600 Lm. (at max)	2,800 Lm. (at max.)
White Color Spectrum	2,500 to 6,500K	2,500 to 9,000K
16 million colors	Yes	Yes
Zone Control	No	Yes
Lifespan (in hours)	About 20,000	About 25,000
Length	6.6 Ft.	6.6 Ft.
Extendable	Yes (up to 32 Ft.)	Yes (up to 32 Ft.)
Apps	iOS, Android	iOs, Android, Windows 10
Software Upgradeable	Yes	Yes
Requires a hub to work	Yes	No
IFTTT	Yes	Yes
Amazon Alexa	Yes	Yes
Google Home	Yes	Yes
Wink	Yes	No
SmartThings	Yes	Yes
HomeKit	Yes	No
Free Music Sync	No	Yes

Last update on 2023-09-22 at 09:01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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LIFX Z vs. Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus — What’s Different?

1. Brightness – There is a pretty significant difference between the two different lightstrips when it comes to brightness. The LIFX Z is brighter by far, with 2800 lumens at max and a white color spectrum ranging from 2500–9000k. The Philips Hue lightstrip is still bright enough for most situations at 1600 lumens and with a white color spectrum of 2500–6500k, but it’s definitely immediately noticeable that the LIFX Z is the brighter strip. If you’re looking to really light up a room without having to shell out for multiple extensions, the LIFX Z is the better bet.

2. Technology & Hub – The LIFX lightstrip uses WiFi to connect straight to your router, so you can get things set up without any additional equipment — just plug it in and you’ll be able to hook it up to your home network for immediate control over its wealth of settings.

   The Philips Hue Lightstrip uses Zigbee technology in order to communicate, and that requires a separate hub called the Philips Hue Bridge in order to connect and receive commands. This is an extra expense, but it also allows you to utilize one of the most popular and compatible smart home frequencies, as well as gain access to unique features like Philips Entertainment. We cover that in further detail below!

3. Lifespan – Both lightstrips should last you quite a long time even with frequent use, but the LIFX Z has a significant advantage with a lifespan of 25,000 hours compared to the 20,000 with the Philips Hue. Over time, this may lead to significant cost savings as you won’t have to replace the equipment nearly as often. Regardless of your choice, however, you should get multiple years of continuous use.

4. White Tones – As mentioned above, there is a pretty significant difference in the white spectrum when comparing the LIFX Z vs Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus. The wider range means that you’ll have access to different temperatures and ambiance of light. The LIFX Z has more access to deeper and colder white light with an upper range of 9000K vs. the 6500K of the Philips Hue. If you’re looking for a lightstrip with a capacity for pretty much any kind of white light, tilt in favor of the LIFX Z.

5. Zone Control – The 16 million colors you can access with both lightstrips are well and good, but what if you want to have multiple colors on the same length of lightstrip? The LIFX Z lightstrip is the strip of the two that allows you to take advantage of zone control. Per meter of strip, you can use up to 8 different color zones. This opens up far more decorative options than you’ll have with the Philips Hue, and is a great way to express your creativity without investing in multiple strips.

6. Entertainment – While the Philips Hue might not have access to multiple color zones, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an entertaining product in its own right. Because you connect the Philips Hue Light Strip to a central hub, you can take advantage of the Hue Sync app in order to dynamically adjust your light strip to match your media. Make your gaming den even more immersive by matching the action with complementary color, or take your next movie party to the next level with the perfect hue to suit the mood. It really adds another level of fun to your brand new lighting solution.

7. HomeKit – We mentioned above that the LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus both work with voice controllers like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Microsoft Cortana. They both work with Apple HomeKit as well, but only the newer version of the LIFX Z offers that support. Philips Hue products all work with Apple HomeKit by default through their Bridge 2.0.

   For more information on the LIFX Z Apple HomeKit compatibility, take a look at the product’s HomeKit page.

8. Length – As mentioned above, both the LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus are extendable to suit the needs of your project. They do differ, however, in how easily adjustable they are and how exactly you can customize your lightstrip length to suit your needs.

   When you purchase the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus, you’ll receive one 78.7 inch strip. The strip is cuttable every 12.9 inches, but it’s important to keep in mind that once you cut the strip, the remaining section will no longer light up. This means that you can’t break the strip down into a bunch of smaller strips, but it does allow you to fit spaces that are smaller than the full 78.7 inches. If you’re looking to fill a smaller space, the Lightstrip Plus is probably your best bet.

   If you decide to opt for the LIFX Z Starter Kit, on the other hand, you’ll receive two 1 meter strips that you can use to light your home. Unlike the Philips Hue lightstrips, however, they don’t have any “cut here” indications. They can still be cut, but you should do so at your own risk while keeping in mind that cutting the strip voids the warranty. So, if you want to use the strip as intended you’re basically going to have to keep each one in its full 39.3 inch format.

   We discussed above how both lightstrips are extendable up to 33 feet, but there’s a pretty big difference between the two when it comes to the amount of customizability this feature offers. There are extension cables available for the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus that allow you to spread the lighting out to different areas rather than sticking to one continuous strip, while the LIFX essentially forces you to connect everything to the main strip — creating one long, uninterrupted string of light.

   If you’re looking to use a lighstrip in multiple different areas, you’re going to need to either buy completely separate lightstrips with LIFX, or buy extenders with the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus. Clearly, the Philips Hue model is a little bit easier to adjust to suit your needs — although both require a little of modification if your project isn’t confined to one limited area. The best product from a length standpoint will depend on whether you’re looking for one long strip or multiple smaller ones.

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What do LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus Have in Common?

• 16 Million Colors – Although there are a good number of differences between the LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus, you’ll have 16 million colors to play with regardless of your decision. With a simple touch of a button, you can fill the room with brilliant color — and changing between themes is easy as well with support for favorite light settings that can be recalled at any time.

• App Control – Controlling your LIFX Z or Philips Lightstrip with your smartphone is incredibly easy. Both lightstrips have apps for Android and iOS devices. Turn your lights on and off, or change up the color to suit your mood from anywhere with an internet connection. Whether you’re across the room or across the ocean, you can adjust pretty much any setting you can think of as long as you can get online.

• Extendable – Both lightstrips are 6.6 feet in length, which should give you adequate coverage for most situations. However, for those big projects where you want to cover an entire room, either lightstrip is extendable with extra attachments up to a maximum length of 32 feet. Regardless of your choice, you can rest assured that covering even large rooms in brilliant color should be super easy.

• Voice Assistants – With access to voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana, you’ll be able to control your lighting handily. While the primary method of control for your lighting will likely still be the app, it’s always nice to be able to change up colors to one of your favorite themes with hands-free commands.

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LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus in a Smart Home Environment

In addition to the voice controls discussed above, both LIFX and Philips work with other smart home products.

One of the most notable partners of Philips is Nest, which allows you to easily integrate your smart lighting with products like security cameras and thermostats. Also supported is the Logitech Harmony remote that makes controlling your media along with your lights even easier, and Razer equipment can work hand-in-hand with the Philips Hue Entertainment feature to take your gaming to the next level. Other smart home partners include SmartThings, Xfinity Home, and Vivint.

LIFX offers much of the same support, with cooperation with Nest, Logitech, Xfinity Home, and SmartThings. Additionally, you can use No products found. to further expand the smart features of your new lighting setup.

Both LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus also integrate with IFTTT, which allows you to do cool things like flash the lights when you get an email, or adjust the ambiance automatically for different times of day, or even seasons. The conditional triggers of this system are incredibly powerful, and offer control of your lighting down to the most minute detail to make your new smart lighting truly your own.

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How to Make Philips Hue and LIFX Even Better?

The main accessories you’ll want to look into with the LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus are the LIFX and Philips Hue extensions. As discussed above, this allows you to string lightstrips together to cover much larger areas.

The lighting solutions are also part of larger ecosystems, and options like the LIFX Tile or lamps like the Philips Go or Bloom can further enhance the fun and ambiance of your new lightstrip.

Last update on 2023-09-22 at 09:31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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Which Would We Choose for Our Home?

We’ve gone deep into the details on the LIFX Z and Philips Hue Lightstrip, so we’ll try to keep our thoughts as succinct as possible. If you’re looking to further expand your smart lighting setup beyond this initial investment into accessories like dimmers, lamps, bulbs, and motion sensors, your best bet is probably going to be the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus.

Additionally, the Philips Hue has the advantage due to its flexible installation options that allow the use of extension capables and the ability to bend the light strips to some pretty impressive angles. The entertainment feature is also a nice plus, and allows you to sync up your music, move, and games to the perfect dynamic lighting schemes.

However, with that said, the LIFX Z also functions right out of the box without the need for any additional hub. It’s a much brighter light, and the zone control offers greater flexibility within a single light strip. The integration with the brand new LIFX Tiles also offers you the ability to further express your creativity by expanding beyond your lightstrips into a larger colorful ecosystem.

For a higher quality light with less setup required to get started, we recommend the LIFX Z. However, for better integration and a more connected and entertaining home, it’s difficult to beat the Philips Hue. The best product for you depends on what you’re looking for in your new smart lighting solution.

We hope that this comparison has helped dispel some of the uncertainty around the LIFX Z vs. Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus. Which one are you planning to add to your home? Chime in in the comments below!

Last update on 2023-09-22 at 09:01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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