For outfitting your smart home with HomeKit-enabled devices, Elgato has been producing some of the most reliable options on the market. Its lineup of Eve devices range from the typical smart plugs and light switches to motion, temperature and other sensors. Now, the company has announced it will be extending its accessories with a new portable LED lamp deemed Eve Flare.
Elgato’s latest HomeKit device takes the form of a multi-color spherical lamp. The Eve Flare stacks up to around the size of a basketball and its translucent casing acts as a diffuser for the lamp’s internal LED light.
Portability is the Eve Flare’s main selling point, which allows the lamp to bring ambient lighting just about anywhere you can carry it. You can expect to get up to around six hours of battery life on a single charge from the HomeKit accessory, and it also boasts IP65 water resistance to further add to its versatility.
Elgato has opted to ditch cables all-together for its latest device, which utilizes wireless charging to power up. On the underside of the lamp you’ll find the inductive charging pad alongside buttons to manually control the lighting and a fold-out carrying handle.
With HomeKit compatibility, iPhone and Siri control are other defining features, but outside of that and its built-in battery, it’s a fairly standard smart lamp.
While Elgato’s Eve accessories don’t offer an alternative solution to the Philips Hue ecosystem, its latest HomeKit device takes a direct stab at one of the Hue lighting add-ons. With a similar form-factor and feature list, the Eve Flare is essentially a new and improved Hue Go.
Comparatively, the Eve Flare is a standalone device that doesn’t require an additional hub to function and looks to significantly be larger. The added benefit of water resistance will be a perk for many as well.
The new Elgato Eve Flare is scheduled to be released on June 25th and will sell for 99.95 euros, or just over $115. At a $35 premium compared to the similarly featured Hue Go, it’ll be interesting to see if waterproofing and other distinguishing features are enough to justify the more expensive price tag.
LIFX has managed to build its entire brand of HomeKit lights around the hubless design, which leads me to believe that the Eve Flare will be an appealing option for many smart home owners not looking to adopt and entire system like Hue.
If $115 is too steep a price tag for you, the Philips Hue Go is currently available for just under $70.
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