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Lifx lighting products get touch controls and other new features at CES 2019

Patrick Hearn
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Image used with permission by copyright holder

Lifx has been around since 2012, but the company hasn’t slowed when it comes to improving functionality. At CES 2019, Lifx announced several new features that will change the way users interact with and use their Lifx lights, especially the Lifx Tile and Lifx Beam.

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The Tile comes in a starter kit of five flat units and a power adapter. These tiles can be attached in any format along the wall and ceiling, as long as they are connected to one another. With 64 independent color zones, each tile is capable of putting on quite the light show. The Beam comes in a kit of six straight units, a power adapter, and a corner unit. The Beam can be arranged in either a straight line or arranged to bend around a corner.

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Although these lights have been out for a while, the Tile Tap and Fire features have not. Lifx announced that an upcoming firmware update will enable touch controls on all Lifx lights. A single tap will change the mode, while a double tap will turn the lights on or off. The new Fire mode will cause the lights to flicker in the same way a fire does, creating a calm, soothing effect.

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Lifx has quite a bit that sets it apart from the competition, including 16 million colors in each light and the brightest white in-home bulbs with 1,100 lumens. Features have been built into the lights that “future-proof” them; in other words, there are features in the various products that aren’t yet available to customers, but are present in all lights whether you bought them last year or last week.

Lifx offers five core products in addition to the Tile and the Beam:

  • The Lifx A19 E26 LED is the baseline color-changing bulb the company offers
  • The Lifx Mini line, which are optimized for feature lighting
  • The BR30 “canned” lights, which are designed to provide ample lighting with no frills
  • The GU10 downlight works as more of a feature light and provides 400 lumens with only 6 watts of power
  • The “infrared” A19+ and BR30+ lights, designed to work with security cameras

Lifx began as a startup, but has paved a way for itself in the smart home lighting world. The company puts an emphasis on quality that shows in the way each bulb is designed. No hub is needed; just plug the light in, connect it to Wi-Fi via the app, and you’re good to go.

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Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
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