ilumi vs. LIFX A19

The field of smart lighting has never been more exciting, and now more than ever before it’s possible to get your home outfitted with intelligent, colorful lighting for cheap.

When comparing between the ilumi vs. LIFX A19, the main question you’ll want to consider is whether you’re truly looking for a “smart” home, or if you’d just like to add an easy splash of color to your lighting setup.

The ilumi and LIFX A19 are designed to appeal to different crowds with slightly different needs, so let’s get into the details and help you figure out which group you’re a part of!

ilumi vs. LIFX A19 — Things in Common

  • 16 Million Colors – Part of the main appeal of both the ilumi and LIFX A19 bulbs are their capacity for up to 16 million different colors. Change your color up multiple times a day for the rest of your life with no repeats, or cycle back to your favorites with easy app control. A world of color is at your fingertips, regardless of which smart lighting solution you happen to choose.

  • App Control – It’s easy to control your ilumi or LIFX A19 from your smartphone using the dedicated iOS or Android app. You can control pretty much any feature you can think of here, such as changing between the millions of colors or setting a schedule. Program your lights to turn on or off at certain times or dim later in the evening when it’s time to wind down for bed — all from one central ilumi or LIFX app.

  • No Hub Required – Some smart lighting solutions like the Philips Hue line of bulbs require a hub in order to access a lot of their smart features. These hubs often make it easier to integrate your new smart lighting with third-party products as well as enable a number of additional features. However, they are an extra expense and make installation a little bit more complicated.

    With either the ilumi or LIFX A19, you’ll enjoy an easy installation process that doesn’t require any additional hubs or bridges.

  • Warranty – It can be easy to get nervous when you start replacing multiple bulbs at once, as smart bulbs are a good amount more expensive than traditional lighting. It’s important, then, that you have the assurance that your purchase will be backed up by a comprehensive warranty. With either the ilumi or LIFX A19, your light bulbs will be covered from any malfunctions or defects for two years from the date of purchase.

    If you’re looking for an even longer warranty, however, it may be worth your time to look into the Philips Hue bulbs. Take a look at our Philips Hue vs. LIFX comparison to get a sense of how these bulbs stack up against one another.


ilumi vs. LIFX A19 — Differences

Ilumi - Extra - 01

  • Difference #1: Brightness – One of the most easily noticeable differences between the ilumi and LIFX A19 is the brightness. The LIFX bulb is significantly brighter at 1100 Lumens vs. 800, and also has a wider range in color temperature ranging from 2500-9000K vs. 2000-4000K. This means that in addition to being a brighter bulb overall, you’ll have more variance in ambiance with more choices between warm and cold white light. The brightness may not be a huge deal on its own (although you will notice a significantly brighter glow with the LIFX bulb), but the combination of the higher lumens and the greater range in color temperature makes the LIFX really come across as the higher-quality bulb overall.

  • Difference #2: Technology – The two bulbs also differ in the type of technology they use to make connections and to allow you to adjust settings. The LIFX bulbs use WiFi in order to communicate, and are compatible with any 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g/n router. This use of WiFi also means that it’s easy to make adjustments to your lighting from pretty much wherever you have an internet connection — whether that’s at home, at work, or thousands of miles away on vacation.

    The ilumi bulbs connect to your phone using Bluetooth Low Energy connections. This is a very energy-efficient way of controlling your lighting, but it does mean that your phone will have to be relatively close to the bulbs at all times in order to adjust settings — meaning that you’re basically not able to control settings while away from home.

    The LIFX definitely has the advantage when it comes to technology, as it opens up a much more flexible operation overall.

  • Difference #3: Remote Control – As mentioned above, the LIFX bulbs are controllable from wherever you have an internet connection, while the ilumi bulbs need you to be within 164 feet for control via app.

  • Difference #4: Fitting – It can be super disappointing to invest in a new smart lighting setup only to find that your bulb won’t work with your existing sockets, so it’s important to note that there’s a pretty big difference in compatibility when comparing the ilumi bulbs to the LIFX A19. The ilumi bulbs only work with E26 sockets, while the LIFX supports E26, E27 Screw or B22 Bayonet fittings.

  • Difference #5: Music Syncing – One advantage that ilumi does have over the LIFX A19 is its support for in-app music syncing. It’s a fun feature that allows you to adjust the colors and rhythm of your lighting to suit your favorite tunes, and is a perfect opportunity to liven up the party.

    The LIFX doesn’t have this feature natively, but there are some third party apps that allow for it. We have to give the edge to ilumi in this section, although with a little digging you can end up with the music syncing feature on either device.

  • Difference #6: Unique Features – The ilumi bulbs also have some unique features that set them apart from other smart lighting solutions on the market. Perhaps one of the most fun and useful features is Torch, which allows you to turn lights on and off dynamically as you walk through your house. This ensures that your home is only lit up wherever you happen to be, which means you’ll save energy while never being left in the dark. When you share your home with multiple people, the Torch feature becomes a little less useful since it’s tied to your phone, but it’s still a neat perk worthy of mention.

    ilumi also offers the ability to Shake to turn your lights on and off, as well as the ability to play the Simon game with your bulbs.

    All three of these features are available through the dashboard of the app, and are made possible pretty much due to the Bluetooth LE connection the bulbs use to communicate.

    As LIFX uses WiFi instead of Bluetooth, you won’t find any analogs to these unique features.

  • Difference #7: Voice Control & IFTTT – While LIFX might not have some of the fun features as discussed above, it has a major advantage when it comes to voice control. The LIFX bulbs work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or even Microsoft Cortana using a device like the Harman Kardon Invoke Voice-Activated Speaker. The lighting system also works well with other smart home devices like Nest, Logitech Harmony, Flic and smart home control systems like Xfinity Home and Samsung SmartThings.

    Unfortunately, ilumi bulbs aren’t compatible with any 3rd party devices. They are a great standalone product, but when it comes to integration with a larger smart home ecosystem, they are notably lacking. With that said, both brands integrate well with IFTTT which allows you to control ilumi using Amazon Echo or Google Assistant. The functionality isn’t there by default, but if you take the effort to set up your bulbs using that smart home trigger system you’ll get many of the same features you enjoy with the LIFX.

    IFTTT lets you do cool things with either smart lighting setup, such as lighting up your bulbs when someone activates your Ring doorbell, or flashing certain colors in celebration when your favorite team gets a touchdown.

  • Difference #8: Apple HomeKit – It’s possible to get your ilumi lights to work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa using IFTTT. However, if you’d like to use Apple HomeKit, you’re basically limited to the LIFX bulbs as ilumi does not support that smart home control system in any capacity.

  • Difference #9: LED Lifespan – Both the LIFX and ilumi bulbs last an incredibly long time, so you can rest assured that your investment will last for years to come. However, there is a bit of a difference between the two bulbs in term of longevity, with the LIFX lighting lasting 22.8 years and the ilumi ones lasting 20 years based on 3 hrs a day of usage on average. Even if you happen to use your bulbs significantly longer than that, you’ll get multiple years of use out of either bulb — just know that LIFX will last you a little longer.

  • Difference #10: Finish – If you’re looking for flexibility in terms of coloring, you’ll definitely be better off with the ilumi bulbs. LIFX bulbs feature white hardware, while you can get either white or black with ilumi. It’s always nice to have extra choice when it comes to design, and you can choose to accent the color scheme of your room with either shade rather than being limited to just white. This may not be a deal breaker when it comes to deciding between the two bulbs, but having that extra option is a nice perk and a definite advantage that the ilumi bulbs have over LIFX hardware.


ilumi vs. LIFX A19 — Comparison Chart

LIFX ilumi
Lumens 1100 Lm. 800 Lm.
Color Temperature 2500-9000K 2000–4000K
Color Range 16 million colors 16 million colors
Dimming 1% — 100% Yes
Torch & Shake to Turn Off/On No Yes
Geo-fencing Yes No
Scheduling Yes Yes
Technology WiFi Bluetooth LE
Requires a Hub No No
Wi-Fi Router Requirement 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g/n
App iOS 9+, Android 4.1+, Windows 10 iOS, Android
Apple HomeKit Yes No
Amazon Alexa Yes via IFTTT
Google Assistant Yes via IFTTT
Microsoft Cortana Yes No
Full Brightness 11 Watts 9.5 Watts
LED Life-Span 22.8 years (based on 3hrs/day) 20 years (based on 3hrs/day)
Bulb Types E26, E27 Screw or B22 Bayonet E26
Beam Angle 135 degrees
Security WPA/WPA2 N/A
Water Resistant No No
Outside Use Yes No
Product Dimensions LxWxH 2.48 x 2.48 x 4.52 in 2.5 x 2.5 x 4.5 in
Weight 0.46 lbs 0.45 lbs
Warranty 2 years 2 years

ilumi vs. LIFX A19 — Accessories

LIFX - Accessories - 02

When it comes to accessories, you’ll notice that there are many more options with the LIFX bulbs than there are with ilumi. ilumi bulbs are largely intended to be a standalone, fully-featured product, and it doesn’t have access to the same robust product family that you’d see with LIFX or another competitor like the Philips Hue.

For the LIFX A19, consider trying out an LIFX Z Light Strip for another take on colorful ambiance, or perhaps the brand new LIFX Beam and LIFX Tile for a more unique smart lighting solution. The beauty of the LIFX A19 is in how expandable it is, and it’s easy to grow your smart lighting setup from a few bulbs into a fully-featured ecosystem — complete with additional lighting and smart product integration alike.


ilumi vs. LIFX A19 — Our Thoughts

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If you’re looking to extend your lighting into a smart home setup, there’s no doubt that the LIFX A19 is the superior product. With a wide amount of integration, it blows the ilumi bulbs out of the water when it comes to support for third-party devices and voice controllers. The bulb also offers greater brightness and a wider range of color temperatures, making it the superior bulb in that aspect as well.

However, if you’re just interested in colorful lights and aren’t looking to convert your lighting into the start of a smart home, the ilumi may be right up your alley. It has some cool and fun features, and is a great option for those looking to get their feet wet with customizable, colored lighting.

At the end of the day, we truly feel that the LIFX A19 is the superior product. It costs more than the ilumi, but the amount of integration and remote control over the internet from wherever you are make it more than worth the extra expense.


Last update on 2024-03-28 at 09:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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