Samsung to bring LED Smart Bulbs to market this year

Not content to let LG hog the app-controlled-lightbulb spotlight, it’s been revealed that Korean rival Samsung is also bringing a product to market in the space.

Due to be announced at the Berlin Light + Building 2014 trade fair event in the next few days, and posted on its own blog, Samsung will bring two Parabolic Aluminized Reflector (PAR) bulbs – one with a swiveling head – and an entry in its existing L-tube series (the type you might see deployed as overhead lighting in offices) to market … soon.

The new PAR bulbs have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating of 90, so they’re intended for “professional interior and color-critical applications”. They can be tuned from “arm white” to “cool white” and have a lifetime of around 15,000 hours each.

Samsung’s Smart Bulb solution differs somewhat to those we’ve seen thus far, relying on Bluetooth to exert control over the bulbs rather than a Wi-fi-based solution that requires an access point. A smartphone / tablet app will allow users to control up to 64 bulbs with no additional setup or equipment required, and it’s here we find a likely Android connection – hopefully Samsung will release this app to Google Play for all Android devices and not just their own Galaxy smartphones.

The company’s aiming the bulbs at both personal and commercial customers. A business might find the Bluetooth control requirement (and the 64 bulb limit) restrictive, and it seems Samsung’s got a Zigbee-based solution in store for those users, although there’s little information about this at the moment.

Pricing and release date, unsurprisingly, remains up in the air. We’ll be keeping an eye on these products and hopefully we’ll see a swift introduction to the Australian market.

Would you use Smart Bulbs to light up your house? Are you more interested in Philips Hue, LG’s Smart Lamp or Samsung’s Smart Bulb? Let us know in the comments!