Philips Hue confirms upcoming US price hikes are due to Trump tariffs

A hot potato: A lot of companies try to avoid blaming Trump’s tariffs for any price increases, but not Philips Hue. It has notified customers of a price hike starting on July that is a direct result of the new import duties, and the products might become even more expensive in the future.

Parent company Signify told hueblog.com that its Philips Hue portfolio in the US will experience price hikes on July 1 as a “direct result of the tariffs.”

This might not be the only increase. The company added that “Signify reserves the right to modify prices based on new or additional tariffs becoming effective in the future.”

Philips Hue had alluded to the price hike earlier this month in marketing material. A promotional message warned that “Hurry, prices go up on July 1!” It also advised people to make purchases now to save money before the increase arrives.

How much the prices will go up won’t be revealed until they take effect next week. Some newly introduced items give us an idea of what to expect, though. The new Hue Smart Button has remained at the same €21.99 price as its predecessor in Europe, where pricing has been around a 1:1 conversion for US amounts. But in the US, the button has gone from $25 to $33.

There’s also the new $219.99 Hue Play Wall Washer light, which is around 10% more than the €200 EU version when currencies are converted.

Philips Hue’s smart lights are already some of the most expensive you can buy. It’ll be interesting to see how loyal its customers remain once the prices go up.

Signify placing the blame for the price increases squarely on the Trump tariffs is a contrast to most companies. In April, Amazon had planned to show exactly how much the duties would increase the cost of items on its Amazon Haul site, but the move brought public condemnation from the White House and led to Trump himself calling Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to discuss the matter. Unsurprisingly, the company backed down from its plan and claimed the idea never got beyond the discussion stage.

There was also a report in May that Apple could raise the price of its new iPhones this fall, though the company is keen to avoid blaming Trump’s tariffs, instead citing new features as justification.