Philips Hue Datura Ceiling Light Review

Philips Hue Datura Ceiling Light: Introduction

• Lighting Type: Smart Flush Mount Ceiling Light
• Connectivity: Zigbee, Bluetooth
• Ecosystem: Matter, Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings, Homey, and more…

With a sleek floating profile, dual-zone illumination, and Hue ecosystem support, Philips Hue Datura has a lot going for it, at least on paper.

This ceiling light looks great and is impressively bright, but it’s quite expensive for what it is.

The round version comes in two size options. There’s a 38.4 cm version that retails for $329.99 / £299.99, and a whopping 57.4 cm model that retails for $439.99 / £399.99. It’s the latter that I tested for this review.

This price is considerably higher than either version of the older Hue Surimu panel that Datura essentially replaces, but while Datura adds some truly smart touches, it doesn’t entirely justify the price increase.

Especially when you consider that you can get a similar design and more advanced features to the likes of the Aqara Ceiling Light T1M and the Lifx SuperColor Ceiling Light for a fraction of the price.

However, if you ignore the price, there’s a lot to love about the Datura. Read my full review.

Design and installation

I gave the Datura excellent reviews in the intro, comparing it to its Aqara and Lixx rivals, but I’ll quickly defend its design here. When it’s unpowered, you can tell it’s a more premium piece of kit in terms of materials and finish.

The Datura dispenses with the cheap plastic frame in favor of a cleaner, more minimalist finish. A spring-loaded mount allows it to float slightly below the ceiling, but it’s more than just a design flourish. This is essential for the ring of upward-facing ambient LEDs around it to work.

The build quality is great and feels expensive (and yes, did I mention that?)

The aluminum body gives it a solid feel, but it is heavy so you need to be careful. The manual recommends using two screws for the smaller version and three screws for the larger version to secure the mount in place, but be sure to find a suitable wall plug depending on the material of your ceiling.

The big boy reviewed here weighs over 6.2 kg.

The installation process is similar to other flush-mount Hue panels and the rivals we’ve already mentioned.

Simply screw on the bracket, wire the light (in the UK we support 2-wire systems) and clip it onto the body.

The main body has some metal cables to clip to the frame during installation, making wiring easier and preventing it from hitting your face during installation.

It’s also very doable solo if you have enough strength to lift it. I was up and running within 15 minutes.

brightness and performance

Datura is very bright. The smaller model pushes out up to 3,300 lumens at 4000K. The larger ones reach a whopping 5,390 lumens, enough to light up a room much larger than the average 10-15 square meter bedroom. This is one of the most powerful Hue ceiling lights you can buy, outperforming the Surimu panel by about 30%.

However, it’s not just pure output. The biggest selling point here is the dual lighting zones. The main panel faces downwards and the ambient ring lights up upwards.

You can control each individually to create a scene, or consider cool white downlights with a halo of warm light, or the effect of color subtly reflecting off the ceiling to create a moody atmosphere.

Like the Aqara T1M, these two lights are individually addressable in your smart home system as well as the Hue app. This means that not only can you create cool effects, but you can also use that outer ring for automation via Alexa, HomeKit, and more.

Consider having an auxiliary light that glows orange when the doorbell rings, and red when the fire alarm goes off.

White and color ambiance (16 million colors, color temperature 2000K to 6500K) are fully supported, and color rendering is stable, although not as high as the CRI of high-end dedicated fixtures.

Hue’s new Multi-Source Light (MSL) technology is not supported and effects are not available in the Hue app. So while the color options and performance are great, it can’t create the light show that much cheaper rivals can.

App control and integration

The easiest way is to pair to the Hue app using Bluetooth. This allows Datura to appear in the Hue app with a very comprehensive feature set.

However, for full functionality and the full set of Hue’s included features such as scenes, automation, etc., we recommend pairing Datura with Hue Bridge.

You can also use Zigbee to connect Hue bulbs directly to some Amazon smart speakers. The 3rd generation Echo Show 8, Echo Hub, Echo Studio, etc. act as Zigbee hubs, so if you already own one of these, you can add Hue Datura through Alexa without requiring the Philips Hue skill.

I used the traditional bridge mode and added Datura to my existing Hue system. It was very easy to get them. The two lights were added as separate devices and synced to specific zones and rooms.

This makes it easy to change the color and brightness of the bulb, as well as adjust the white temperature.

When you add Datura, like other Hue smart lights, you can control the brightness and color of each bulb individually, create routines, and link it with other smart home devices.

Philips Hue Guide

Works with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings, Homey, and many other devices, and also offers Matter compatibility via paired Bridge.

Smart switches like the Hue Smart Button also work well with Datura, especially if you don’t want to fiddle with the app every time.

final thoughts

The Datura is a ceiling light that looks great, shines brightly, and blends well with smart home setups, but it’s hard to justify its price when rivals offer similar (or even better) features for much less.

If you’re deep into the Hue ecosystem and want the best-looking panel lights they make, this is the one for you. If not, more worthy options are waiting to brighten your life.

Test method

When we publish a review, you can rest assured that it is the result of long-term testing.

Smart lights typically exist within an ecosystem, or perhaps a set of products that all work in harmony. Therefore, it is impossible to use connected lights for a week and make a judgment.

We test smart home kits all day, every day, so we know what’s important and how a particular light compares to the alternatives you’re considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and unbiased, and of course we don’t receive direct compensation to review devices.

For more information, read our guide on how to test smart lights.