Philips Hue Smart 40W B39 Candle-Shaped LED Bulb - Soft Warm White Light - 2 Pack - 450LM - E12 - Indoor - Control with Hue App…
Philips Hue
Best for
Best overall
Amazon rating
Amazon aggregate, one input among many in the Verdict Score
Based on 3 trusted sources
Current price
$28.49
Updated May 18, 2026 · 1 min read
Sources behind this verdict
10 reviewers weighted by source trust
The consensus
What reviewers found
Synthesized across the trust-weighted source mix below.
Across the reviewers we read, the Philips Hue B39 candle bulb is the most consistently recommended E12 smart bulb — and the most consistently complained about on price. The Best Buy product listing positions it as a white-ambiance bulb tunable from warm to cool white, and verified-purchase aggregation at homedepot.com summarizes customers as praising easy setup and color/white quality via the Hue app. Amazon's 4.6-star average across more than 1,200 reviews is unusually high for the category.
What reviewers liked
- Highest verified-purchase rating in the category (4.6 across 1,200+ Amazon reviews) and consistent praise on Best Buy and Home Depot listings
- r/smarthome and r/Hue threads repeatedly cite multi-year reliability with no failures
- Hue app and Bridge ecosystem rated more reliable than competing apps across multiple high-trust community threads
- Smooth, accurate warm-to-cool white tuning that reviewers prefer over cheaper RGBCW bulbs in chandelier use
Where it falls short
- Significantly more expensive per bulb than any other pick, a complaint surfaced across nearly every Reddit thread we read
- Bridge is effectively required for the full feature set, adding cost
- Verified-purchase comments on forums.woot.com flag that bulbs can revert to default state after a power outage unless power-loss recovery is configured
- This SKU is white-ambiance only — buyers expecting full RGB need a different Hue candle SKU
Across the reviewers we read, the Philips Hue B39 candle bulb is the most consistently recommended E12 smart bulb — and the most consistently complained about on price. The Best Buy product listing positions it as a white-ambiance bulb tunable from warm to cool white, and verified-purchase aggregation at homedepot.com summarizes customers as praising easy setup and color/white quality via the Hue app. Amazon's 4.6-star average across more than 1,200 reviews is unusually high for the category.
High-trust community sentiment is where Hue separates from the pack. Multiple long-running r/smarthome and r/Hue threads describe bulbs running flawlessly for years, with one frequently upvoted comment noting eight years of use without a single failure. Reviewers in r/Hue who tried cheaper alternatives generally returned to Hue, citing better color rendering, more reliable scenes, and longer-lived hardware. The trade-off, surfaced honestly across the same threads, is that you really do need the Hue Bridge to get the full experience, which pushes the all-in cost well above any other pick here.
The most common pain points are price and the recurring complaint on forums.woot.com and r/Hue that Hue bulbs revert to defaults after a power cut unless you configure power-loss recovery. For most buyers willing to live with the Hue tax, the consensus is that this is still the safest E12 purchase.
- WHAT’S IN THE BOX - Includes two soft warm white smart 40W-equivalent B39 light bulbs; Perfect for general lighting anywhere in your home
- UNLOCK THE FULL POWER OF HUE - Add a Hue Bridge to enjoy automations, control from anywhere in the world, and a secure, stable connection that won’t drain your Wi-Fi. Use Matter to connect your smart home devices to your Hue smart lighting system.
- SOFT WHITE LIGHT – Enjoy dimmable, soft white light in your home that allows you to easily set the right mood for any occasion.
- VOICE CONTROL - Convenient smart control; Set up voice control in the Hue app and use simple voice commands to control your lights with Alexa or Google Assistant
- CREATE THE PERFECT ATMOSPHERE - Find the perfect light to gather, share, and enjoy moments together; Make the dinner table a destination with the perfect amber glow; Set the light to bright and bold or low and soothing
I have hue and started with it about 8 years ago, haven't had a single bulb fail and performance has been completely flawless. My only complaint ...
Easy setup: Even a tech-challenged dad like me can get these bulbs up and running in a jiffy. Cons: Price tag: While not exactly cheap, ( ...
Trust tier reflects our editorial assessment of the source, not the individual quote. Hover for the rationale. See how we tier sources →
“Tested: Philips Hue Smart Candle” · Shaped LED Bulb Full Review
If the consensus convinced you
Check current price on Amazon
Pricing and availability change frequently. Tap through to confirm before buying.