Apparently, Philips is putting all of it’s lightbulbs on a diet. Just a couple months after releasing the flattened SlimStyle A19 LED bulb, the company just pulled the veil back on it’s new line of slimmer, cheaper, and more efficient BR30 downlights.
Much like the original SlimStyle LEDs, the diodes in the new BR30 bulbs are dispersed in a flat arrangement that eliminates the need for aluminum heat sinks. In addition to making the bulbs much slimmer and lighter than the original version, the lack of bulky heat sinks also makes the bulbs easier to manufacture, which ultimately translates to a lower price for consumers. When they hit store shelves this July, the new bulbs will sell for just $12.79 each — less than any other BR30 LED that Philips has ever sold, and also cheaper than any competitor products that we know of.
As far as specs go, the new SlimStyle BR30s are basically identical to other downlights of the same style: they pump out 650 lumens at 9.5 watts of power, are fully dimmable, and carry a lifespan of about 25,000 hours. They only real difference between these bulbs and their competitors is the appearance (which doesn’t really matter all that much, since the body of the bulb will typically be hidden) and the pricetag. At $12.97, Philips sets a new low for this category, which should hopefully encourage competitors like Cree, TCP, and others to follow suit to stay competitive.
The Philips SlimStyle BR30 LED will be available for sale online in the US this July, with an expected retail rollout scheduled for August.