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Add to SafariWhen comparing Lifx vs Mipow BTL 100C Playbulb Color, the Slant community recommends Lifx for most people. In the question“What are the best smart bulbs?” Lifx is ranked 2nd while Mipow BTL 100C Playbulb Color is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Lifx is:
While few other SmartBulbs get as bright as a regular 60 watt bulb, the Lifx gets even brighter. Instead of just using it for accent lighting, these smart bulbs are some of the only ones that can effectively be used as a primary lighting source.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Very bright
While few other SmartBulbs get as bright as a regular 60 watt bulb, the Lifx gets even brighter. Instead of just using it for accent lighting, these smart bulbs are some of the only ones that can effectively be used as a primary lighting source.
Pro Simple setup
As soon as they are plugged in, the lights will turn on and start broadcasting a Wi-Fi signal. To pair it to your phone, just connect to that Wi-Fi signal. After you connect, you're done and can switch back to your home Wi-Fi.
Pro Third-party integrations
The bulbs can hook into the Nest Thermostat, Nest Smoke Detector, as well as IFTTT (If This Then That - a popular automation app based on 'recipes').
Pro Different bulb options
The Color 1000 comes in two variants - one is a compact A19 size, while the other is a BR30 size. The A19 produces 1055 lumens (equivalent to a 75W bulb), while the BR30 produces 970 lumens (equivalent to a 70W bulb).
Pro No hub required
The bulbs connect straight to the phone, meaning there's no need for a hub which reduces the upfront installation cost.
Pro Easy lighting options
On the homepage of the app is a color selector wheel, as well as a color saturation slider and buttons to get to lighting effects (including a mode which pulses the light along to the music its playing). It is easy to use with virtually no leaning curve
Pro Included speaker
While the speaker is tinny, its nice that it is included, adding more options for audio at home.
Cons
Con App lacks features
The app doesn't allow for light scheduling or custom color cycles.
Con High brightness washes out colors
The colored RGB lights can only achieve 50% brightness on their own; after 50% white LEDs are also turned on to achieve a very high total brightness. However, mixing white light with colored light will dilute the colors so that red light at 70% brightness will look more washed out than red light at 50% brightness.
Con Heavier, and warmer than other LED lights
To achieve their high brightness, the Lifx need more diodes than other LED bulbs, which means that they get hotter. To help deal with the heat, there are more heat sinks which adds the weight (they weigh 10.4 ounces each). Despite the heat sinks though, they still run a bit warmer than other LED bulbs.
Con Slow, unresponsive app
The app could use a lot of work. For such an expensive bulb, the app really should work better than it does.
Con Very dim
At just 200 lumens of brightness (most smart bulbs provide 800 lumens), this is only good for accent lighting. You won't be able to effectively light a room, even with a few of these bulbs.
Con Directional lighting
To make room for the speaker, the bright areas of the bulb are cut off. Light will shine above and below the speaker, making for an awkward looking lighting effect (light shines up and down, but it doesn't surround the bulb as is typical of smart bulbs).
Con May not work in all lighting fixtures
Because of its heft and bulk, it may not fit into some lighting fixtures. It is 5.1x3.1x3.1" and weighs 8.8oz (half a pound). Smaller flexible desk lamps might not be able to hold that weight, or fit the bulb. Even larger appliances may not be able to house it, depending on the specific appliance.
