LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 Review: Big and Bright

After a long absence, LIFX is back, first with a range of outdoor lights (we recently tested the LIFX String Light) and now with new indoor bulbs, including the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 bulb, which we’re testing here.

This bright, colorful but somewhat hefty A21 bulb connects to Wi-Fi networks and works with a variety of smart home ecosystems thanks to its out-of-the-box Matter support. The sophisticated LIFX app makes it easy to set up, group and plan the bulb. Additionally, you can design lighting scenes (dozens of pre-built scenes are also available) and activate animated lighting effects.

So the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 bulb has a lot to offer – and at $39.99, the price is competitive. But LIFX itself is still getting back on its feet after years of financial uncertainty (the brand is on firmer footing following its acquisition by Feit Electric in 2022), which means all but the company’s newest lights are pretty much in the years have come.

LIFX seems committed to bringing new products to market quickly, but those who would rather invest in a robust ecosystem now should look elsewhere.

design

The LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 bulb is slightly larger than a standard A19 bulb, although it has the same E26 base, meaning you can screw it into a typical lamp holder.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lighting.

The larger A21 size allows for greater brightness while minimizing the risk of excessive heat generation. However, due to the bulb’s bulky form factor (4.53 x 2.64 x 2.64 inches, HxWxD), it may not fit into smaller fixtures that can accommodate typical A19 bulbs.

One thing to note about this LIFX A21 bulb is that it is surprisingly heavy at 9.55 ounces. When screwing the bulb into a cheap apartment-style flush-mounted ceiling light designed to hold a pair of bulbs, the sockets bent ever so slightly due to the weight.

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Ben Patterson/Foundry

LIFX calls this bulb a “SuperColor” fixture to tout its brightness, with the bulb having a maximum output of 1,600 lumens, making it the brightest light LIFX has ever produced. For the colors red, green and blue, the bulb can shine with up to 300, 655 and 167 lumens, respectively. To be clear, other smart light brands (like Philips Hue) also offer 1,600 lumen A21 color capable bulbs. Still, the LIFX A21 looks pretty striking when turned all the way up to a primary color.

The LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 bulb can also shine in different shades of white, with the bulb being able to be adjusted from a candle-warm 1,500 Kelvin to a sky-blue 9,000 K. That’s an impressively wide range compared to the 2,500 to 6,500K white color temperatures we see with typical Tunable White bulbs.

Like LIFX’s other products, the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 connects via WiFi and does not require a hub. This A21 bulb also supports Matter, so it works with all major smart home ecosystems including Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.

Set up

The first step to get the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 working is to download the LIFX app. If you don’t already have an account, you’ll need to create one by providing your email account and creating a password (there’s no option to use your Apple, Facebook, or Google accounts).

Once you have registered your account with LIFX, simply tap the “+” button on the home screen. You will then need to choose whether you want to add a new device, routine, scene, or schedule.

Select “New Product,” select “New Light,” then wait for the app to recognize the bulb. In my case, the bulb jumped up immediately (there is also a manual pairing process that requires connecting to the bulb’s local Wi-Fi network).

Finally, scan the Matter code embossed on the back of the user manual. You’ll need the Matter QR code if you ever need to pair the bulb again, so don’t lose it.

Once this is done, you can add the A21 bulb to a room in your LIFX “home”. You can also add the light to other smart home apps using the Matter code.

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Features and functionality

The intuitive LIFX app keeps things elegant yet simple, offering a four-tab interface that you can either tap or swipe (in the iOS version of the app).

Your light groups are located on the first tab, each identified by room-based tiles (kitchen, living room, etc.) with color-coded sliders on the side. The color coding tells you the current hue of the grouped lights, and you can move the slider to adjust the brightness. Tap the tile to go to another tabbed interface, with tabs for color wheels, effects (to make your lights twinkle, strobe, flicker, or sync them to the music picked up by your handset’s microphone), themes (e.g. B. Pop, Van Gogh, Mellow, Festive and Ocean) and color patterns.

Back on the main interface, you can take a snapshot of the current lighting configuration in the My Scenes tab. You can choose which groups and/or individual lights to include in the scene and whether to immediately fade in or turn on a scene.

The third tab shows LIFX’s lighting effects again. This time you can apply effects to groups of lights or your entire home. You can also adjust the speed and intensity of certain effect modes.

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Finally, on the fourth tab you can create daily or weekly schedules that allow you to control individual lights or light groups or activate light scenes. These automations can be triggered at specific times or at sunrise or sunset. One feature that isn’t offered is a vacation mode that turns your lights on and off to simulate your presence when you’re not home.

In addition to using the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 via the LIFX app, you can also control it via the Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings apps. This means you can add the LIFX bulb to Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings automations and group the bulb with non-LIFX products. However, LIFX scenes and animated lighting effects are only available via the LIFX app.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 2.64 x 2.64 x 4.53 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 9.55 ounces
• Brightness: 1,600 lumens
• Color Capable: Yes
• White temperatures: 1,500-9,000 Kelvin
• Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi
• Hub requirement: None
• Matter Support: Yes

Should you buy the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21?

The versatile LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 sits in the middle of the smart lighting market – not as expensive as Philips Hue’s high-end bulbs and not as thin as some of the cheaper smart lights we’ve tested. It’s solid and massive (if a bit heavy), bright and colorful, easy to install, feature-packed, and has an intuitive and elegant app, all at a reasonable price.

Now, those looking for a bulb that fits into an extensive smart lighting ecosystem would be better off going with Philips Hue, as LIFX is only now refreshing its smart light portfolio after stopping in recent years. But the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 still offers plenty of functionality for the price, and with support from Feit Electric, LIFX looks poised to add to its catalog sooner rather than later.