Philips Hue unleashes pricier Bridge Pro, bargain Essential lights

Here is a 195-word summary of the key points from the news article: Philips Hue, the popular smart lighting brand, has announced several new product releases, including a pricier Bridge Pro hub and a more affordable "Essential" line of smart lights. The Hue Bridge Pro, priced at $90, offers significant upgrades over the previous Bridge V2 model. It can handle more connected devices, provides motion-sensing capabilities for existing Hue lights, and eliminates the need for an Ethernet connection. However, it does not include a Thread border router. Alongside the Bridge Pro, Hue unveiled several premium lighting products, such as the high-end OmniGlow light strip, a revamped A19 bulb line, and new outdoor lighting options. Prices for these premium products range from $70 to $350. The highlight of the announcement is the new Hue Essential line, which offers more affordable smart lights starting at $25 for bulbs and $100 for a light strip. These Essential products sacrifice some features, such as lower minimum dimming levels, compared to Hue's premium offerings. Finally, Hue has also added Sonos voice control integration, allowing users to control Hue lights using Sonos voice commands.