Philips Hue Twilight Review: A Fancy Smart Lamp Trying to Promote Better Sleep

The Philips Hue Twilight isn’t just another smart light; it’s specifically designed for your nightstand. Its ColorCast technology and dual light sources are designed to mimic a fading or rising sun to ease you in and out of slumber. It’s a great natural sleep aid, but the premium-priced light probably won’t work wonders if you aren’t also adjusting your habits.

Philips Hue Twilight

7 / 10

Twilight is designed to help you feel more recharged throughout the day, this bedside lamp uses science-backed scenes for mood-boosting lighting.

Pros Sleek design with swivel head Versatile uses configurable through app Can get ultra dim

Cons Pricey compared to other smart lights Hue app can be overwhelming

$279.99 at Philips Hue

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Price and Availability

The Twilight light is available for purchase now and retails for $279.99. It comes in white and black—both with a visible cork base. It can be used with a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

Twilight Is an Expensive Smart Light

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

Over the years, Hue lights have become a lot more specialized. There are more choices for lights with a unique design, style, and utility. That’s never been as clear as with the Twilight. It has a downward-facing light in the front as well as lighting elements on its backside to create a unique glowing effect.

As is evident from its name, the Twilight is focused around nighttime and sleep. It can also function as a sunrise wake-up. Since one of its top buttons is pre-programmed with the Hue “Go to sleep” automation, I really saw the table lamp as being designed for nighttime use, first and foremost.

I love the idea of a simulated sunset with smart lighting to help me drift off to sleep, but I have never found one to make me adhere to that lifestyle. Unfortunately, the Hue Twilight didn’t change anything in that regard. This isn’t a product that will change anything about how you fall asleep (or wake up) unless you’re willing to put your phone down and try to fall asleep at a certain time.

That doesn’t mean the Twilight isn’t a good product, however. I found it to be excellent at creating both direct and ambient light. It works well as a reading light, too, before you press the top sleep automation button. The Twilight lamp can get bright enough to light up a book and its head can swivel to be more directional.

I appreciated the Twilight’s overall sleek design. It has a modern look but shouldn’t stick out too much with most people’s decor. From most angles, you shouldn’t be able to see the top buttons or backlighting element either. Beyond that, there’s not much to the lamp. Although the nearly $300 price might warrant some more functionality like a charging port, I'm glad the design remains as sparse as it does.

The Lamp Is Focused on Sleep

By default, when you press the top button with a dot on it, the light turns on dimly. Every time you press the button, it gets brighter until it cycles around and returns to ultra-dim. The “Hue” button starts a “Go to sleep” automation that fades out of light over 15 minutes. Of course, all of these aspects can be altered and changed in the Hue app, available on iPhone and Android. I don't mind the Hue app, but it can be overwhelming with the amount of customizations available.

With the Twilight, I preferred the light to be brightest on the first press, so in the app, I took the six scenes it cycles through and reordered them from brightest to dimmest.

The Twilight’s rear ColorCast technology is meant to distribute light and effects more evenly, even without needing to be near a wall to bounce off. I didn’t have a good spot for the light on my nightstand near the wall so I was pleasantly surprised to still see the different shades of yellow, orange, and red projected from behind it.

The lamp is set to avoid blue light because it can stimulate people at night. That’s why all of its scenes are warmer and focused around yellow and red colors. The lamp itself can still display all kinds of colors if you want to set it to different custom scenes. It’s a versatile piece of hardware.

Should You Buy the Philips Hue Twilight?

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

As a natural sleep aid, the Philips Hue Twilight is a great piece of technology. Its light array mimics the dispersion and colors of a real sunset you might have coming through your blinds. The whole Hue ecosystem, with various scenes and custom colors, is set up to support this light well. Plus, the Twilight lamp is just well-designed. It looks elegant and worthy of most nightstands.

All that said, the Twilight is a significant investment compared to a lot of other “smart lights.” It has a premium price. Plenty of other smart lights have some kind of sunset scene that can be configured to do something similar. If the Twilight's price doesn’t scare you, however, and you want a light specifically made for late nights and early mornings, then there’s plenty to like here. Just know that this isn’t really the do-everything smart light.

Philips Hue Twilight

7 / 10

Twilight is designed to help you feel more recharged throughout the day, this bedside lamp uses science-backed scenes for mood-boosting lighting.

$279.99 at Philips Hue