Question 1

Can I cut and extend all Philips Hue LED strip lights?

Accepted Answer

Not all Philips Hue LED strip lights are cuttable or extendable including all current outdoor strip lights, owing to their weather-resistant design. Many strip lights are cuttable, and some even allow the cut parts to be reused and added to the strip light using a connector. Lightstrip V4 and many of the latest models will enable this level of customisation. Many earlier strip light models can only be cut to size, but do not allow the cut parts to be reused. Please refer to the comparison table on this page to check the strip light's specifications to ensure it's suitable for your needs.

Question 2

What is the difference between a gradient and a non-gradient LED strip light?

Accepted Answer

Gradient strip lights are designed to emit multiple colours simultaneously along the length of the strip. This lets you create smooth colour transitions (a gradient or rainbow effect) rather than one single uniform colour.
In the Hue app you can choose several colours at once and the strip will blend them across its zones, producing effects like flowing gradients, multi-coloured accents and more dynamic lighting scenes. Gradient strips are particularly striking for ambience, TV sync and backlighting.
Non-gradient strip lights produce one solid colour at a time along the entire length of the strip. Even though they can still show any colour from the Hue palette, that colour is uniform. They’re great for accent lighting, architectural lighting, cove lighting and general illumination where a consistent colour or white tone is desired.

Question 3

What is the difference between Philips Hue Essential strip lights and Philips Hue strip lights?

Accepted Answer

The key difference between Philips Hue and Philips Hue Essential lies in their technology and functionality. Essential (RGBIC) uses RGB LEDs only, while Hue (RGBWWIC) incorporates additional white LEDs, enabling Hue to produce full-spectrum whites ranging from 1000K to 20,000K, whereas Essential creates white light using RGB LEDs alone. Both technologies feature individually controllable LEDs (IC). Hue strip lights provide premium colour quality with accurate colour matching thanks to Chromasync technology, whereas Hue Essential offers basic colour quality.
In terms of dimming capability, Hue strip lights achieve a much lower dimming level — down to just 0.1% of total brightness, compared to Hue Essentials' 5%

Question 4

What’s the difference between concealed and visible strip lights?

Accepted Answer

Many Hue strip lights are designed to be concealed behind furniture, ceiling coves or in gaps where the strip can’t be seen. This created an indirect wall-washing effect of diffused light. Visible strip lights are made to be seen and are designed with a silicone sleeve to produce a smooth and visually appealing line of smooth light without any visible LED spots along the length. They can be attached directly to walls, ceilings and corners without the need to hide them.

Philips Hue smart LED strip lights

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