Smart bulbs are some the newest and most revolutionizing technology that have made their impact on the lighting industry. Over the past decade or so, smart bulbs have slowly taken over the lighting sector.
What makes smart bulbs preferable over traditional lights these days is that not only these lights have a versatile set of functions (remote control, changeable settings, energy efficient), but these lights are also becoming more and more affordable every day.
In addition to commercial and utility use, smart bulbs are also becoming popular when it comes to mood lighting and other decorative options.
With all these advantages, it comes as no surprise that more and more people are considering switching to smart bulbs for regular use.
However, it is normal for people to think that smart bulbs typically do not last very long, as they contain intricate and delicate electrical components that may be damaged very easily.
You may be surprised to hear that this is not the case. In fact, smart bulbs can last quite long compared to traditional bulbs.
How Long Do Smart Bulb Last
It is difficult to answer this question with a particular answer. Although manufacturers claim that smart bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours, there are multiple factors that affect the lifespan of a smart bulb.
Factors such as the quality of the electrical connection, prolonged usage, exposure to external factors, etc. can change how long a smart bulb lasts.
Considering all possibilities, it is safe to assume that a standard good quality smart bulb will last around 25,000 hours.
Do Smart Bulbs Burn Out?
Unfortunately, at some point, all bulbs will eventually burn out. Smart bulbs are no different to this.
When thinking about how long do smart bulbs last, you can expect your smart bulb to burn out either through use or age. Depending on usage, your smart bulbs should last at least 15,000 hours before burning out.
However, if you use your smart bulbs carefully you can definitely extend this lifespan. Doing things such as not leaving the lights on for too long, maintaining a normal room temperature, ensuring a safe electrical connection, etc. can help lengthen a bulb’s lifespan.
Average Life of 7 Best LED Smart Bulb Brands
In order for you to figure out how long do smart bulbs last across various brands, we decided to look at similar products of multiple smart bulb manufacturers.
For maintaining consistency, we decided to look at the product information of similar types of bulbs in terms of wattage and base.
1. Philips Hue Smart Bulb – 25000 Hours
Philips is one of the oldest and most renowned brands when it comes to electronic consumer products. Thus, they have a huge and diverse range of smart bulbs with various levels of functionalities.
Similar to the industry standard, Philips smart bulbs will last around 25,000 hours.
As Philips has an extensive and well-known range of products, their smart bulbs are well compatible with home assistant systems. In addition, some of their smart bulbs can also be synced with other Philips products such as TV, sound system, etc.
With all these benefits, it comes as no surprise that Philips smart bulbs tend to be a little more costly compared to other bulbs. Usually, the bulbs come with a 2-year warranty.
Philips Hue Single Premium Smart Bulb
Voice-activated smart light bulb with 16 million color. Compatible with Google Home and Alexa.
2. Wyze Smart Bulb – 25000 Hours
When thinking about how long do smart bulbs last and which smart bulb to buy, Wyze is an option that must be considered. Although the company started its journey very recently, it has quickly grown popular.
Wyze mainly focuses on manufacturing smart home cameras, however, their smart bulbs are also very well reputed. The company claims that their bulbs will last 25,000 hours.
The smart bulbs come with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Wyze – Tunable White A19 Smart Bulb
1100 lumen WiFi RGB smart bulb with smart color changing features. Work with Alexa nd Google Home.
3. Sengled Smart Bulb – 25000 Hours
A company that focuses highly on LED products, Sengled smart bulbs are another option that must be considered when shopping for smart bulbs.
As is common with most bulbs in this range, Sengled smart bulbs will last for around 25,000 hours. The company offers a 3-year warranty across most products.
Sengled – Smart Light Bulb Starter Kit
Dimmable A19 E26 Smart Light Bulbs work with Alexa and Google Home. 2700K Soft White Alexa Light Bulbs (60W Equivalent).
4. Lifx Mini Smart Bulb – 20000 Hours
Lifx is one of the newer companies that have slowly made their mark on the smart bulb industry. As of right now, the company only manufactures smart bulbs, as a result, they specialize only on this product. This results in smart bulbs that are of high quality.
The company claims that their bulbs will last up to 2 years. It should be mentioned that the lifespan of this bulb is slightly shorter than that of its competitors at about 20,000 hours.
The manufacturer provides a 2-year warranty for their product.
LIFX – Mini White (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb
Built-in Wi-Fi & LIFX cloud. Works with Alexa, Apple Home Kit, and Google Assistant for voice control.
5. Tp-Link Smart Bulb – 25000 Hours
Known for manufacturing wireless networking products, Tp-link have now set their sights on the lighting sector with their revolutionary smart bulbs. In addition to the traditional white lights, the company also manufactures multicolor smart bulbs with over 16,000,000 shades to choose from.
Across all their smart lighting products, tp-link claims the bulbs will last from 15,000 to 25,000 hours.
Full Color Changing Dimmable WiFi LED Light Bulb Compatible with Alexa and Google Home.
6. Nanoleaf Smart Bulb – 25000 Hours
Nanoleaf surprised the world with the introduction of their innovative decorative lighting panels that have become extremely popular over the past decade. They also manufacture utility and decorative smart bulbs.
One of the coolest thing about these smart bulbs is that if you already own their lighting panels, you can sync them with your smart bulb. Nanoleaf also allows you to sync the light colors of your computer accessories (cpu lights, keyboard lights, etc.) with their lighting products.
Nanoleaf says that their smart bulbs will last up to 25,000 hours. The smart bulbs come with a 2-year warranty.
Nanoleaf Essentials A19 Smart LED Bulb
The most brilliant tones of over 16 million hues will transport you to another universe.
7. Cree Lighting Smart Bulb- 25000 Hours
Cree is one of the fastest-growing lighting manufacturers out there. Unlike some of the other manufacturers, Cree specializes and focuses more on more modern lighting technologies such as LED lights as well as smart bulbs.
For most of the smart lighting options, Cree claims that their smart bulbs have an average lifespan of around 25,000 hours. For 3 hours of daily usage, the bulb can be expected to last around 22 to 23 years.
One of the aspects that makes the Cree one of the most suitable options is the fact that these bulbs come with an impressive 5-year warranty.
If you’re using a smart bulb for extremely long periods of time where the bulb might reach its maximum lifespan very early, this bulb is the perfect option for you.
Cree Lighting – 60W A19 Smart Bulb
To replicate natural sunshine, program your lights to progressively vary throughout the day.
Warranty
In terms of warranty, all of the above products come with varying durations of manufacturer warranty.
Most of the products come with a 1 to 2-year warranty. However, there are some exceptions to this case such as Sengled which manufactures of smart bulbs with a 3-year warranty. Cree light bulbs come with the longest warranty at 5 years.
One thing that we must remind you about warranties is that the terms and conditions for warranties may differ across companies. Depending on the company policy, your smart bulb’s warranty may become void depending on how you use them.
Therefore, we suggest carefully looking at the product and seller information before purchasing your smart bulb.
How Safe Are Smart Bulbs?
In terms of hardware safety, smart bulbs are just as safe as traditional bulbs. However, smart bulbs do contain a lot more electrical components.
The presence of a lot of delicate components means that smart bulbs are more prone to malfunctions and irregularities. Although the manufacturers try their best to ensure high durability, it is not surprising to see smart bulbs malfunctioning after their warranty ends.
So as far as our recommendation goes, we suggest going for smart bulbs that are manufactured by manufacturers known for their product quality and reliability. The brands we have suggested above are some of the best in this regard.
Additionally, taking small precautions when using these bulbs will ensure more safety. Ensuring a safe connection, preventing exposure to external elements, etc. will help with your smart bulb’s safety.
Another safety concern that has been rising with smart bulbs is privacy and data breaching. As you know, smart bulbs need to access your wireless network in order to work properly.
A lot of sources have raised concerns about whether these products will compromise your security by accessing sensitive personal information through your wireless connection. In addition, your information may be exposed to cyberattacks if you’re not careful about your smart device usage.
But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use smart bulbs. In order to ensure safety, it is best to go for products manufactured by reputed companies. Lesser-known companies with questionable product quality may put you at risk, so we suggest going for well-known brands.
Do Smart Bulbs Use More Electricity?
As smart bulbs contain more electrical components and have more functions compared to traditional light bulbs, it makes sense that these bulbs may consume more electricity. The electricity consumption of your smart bulb really depends on their functionality.
If you’re using a smart bulb with a large range of functions such as dimming, multicolor lights, home assistant compatibility, etc. chances are the bulb is consuming relatively more electricity. However, at the end of the day, the extra consumption makes very little difference.
On top of that, the technology present in these products is ultra-efficient and does a very good job and conserving as much energy as possible. So if you go for an energy-efficient smart bulb, chances are the extra consumption and conservation cancel each other out.
How Long Do Philips Hue Bulbs Last?
Philips claim that their hue bulbs last around 25,000 hours. As the company is very well known for their quality and reliability, you can expect to reach at least 15,000 to 20,000 hours of use.
In terms of Philips’ traditional incandescent bulbs, the claimed lifespan is around 15,000 hours. This reduced lifespan is due to the fact that traditional bulbs generate a lot more heat which causes faster wear and tear to the components.
In general, a typical Philips smart bulb can be expected to last up to 25,000 hours.
How Long Do Lifx Bulbs Last?
Lifx claim that their bulbs will go on for about 20,000 hours. Even though this claimed lifespan is lower than that of their competitors, it is a fair assumption as to how long the bulbs will actually last.
As Lifx is a company that specializes solely on smart bulbs, you can expect the quality of these bulbs to be top-notch and above standard.
It’s Time to Choose!
Now that you know everything there is to know about how long do smart bulbs last, it is time for you to choose the bulb that fits your needs the best.
You should understand that all the claimed lifespan figures provided by the companies are estimated. Chances are these bulbs will actually not last that long, however, that is no reason to shy away from purchasing these bulbs, as their lifespan is basically the same as traditional bulbs.
We must mention that smart bulbs of all brands will not have an equal lifespan even though their claimed lifespan may be equal. This is because different manufacturers use different quality components with varying degrees of durability.
In order to ensure longevity, we highly recommend going for brands that have a good reputation. Even though the products of these brands maybe a little more expensive, the service you’ll get from these products is well worth the money.
Take a good look at the product description as well as customer reviews to find out other buyers’ experiences with the products.
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