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Smart bulbs compatible with Apple's HomeKit standard are the perfect way to bring some creative lighting to any room. As long as they're all HomeKit-enabled, you can control an entire home's smart lighting from the Home app on your Apple device, even when you're on the go. And if you want to add even more cleverness to the equation, you can set up automations with Apple's Shortcuts app.
For example, you can automatically turn on the lights as soon as you get home, which increases the cool factor. But HomeKit lights aren't just for smart home enthusiasts with sprawling mansions, they're great for college students, too. Why? Because they are fun of course!
There's nothing like smart, colorful lighting to kick off a party or impress your friends. Since most smart lights can be programmed to display a variety of colorful light shows – and some even flash to the beat of your music – a set of smart lights can really brighten up any occasion.
If you're looking for HomeKit-enabled smart bulbs, you're in the right place. We've scoured the market to find the best smart bulbs for students, no matter what goal you have in mind or what budget you're working with. Read on to see our picks.

Best HomeKit Bulbs for Students

Best Overall
1. Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons
Nanoleaf makes all kinds of smart bulbs in all kinds of shapes. They work brilliantly together and you can mix and match different shapes as you please. The lights can mirror the lighting on your Mac's screen and also pulse to the beat of your music. Simply put, they are super smart in almost every way.

Best Light Strip
2. Govee M1 Matter
The perfect way to create beautiful mood lighting with strips that remain out of sight and well hidden. The Govee M1 Matter works with HomeKit, as well as everything in the Matter standard, offering a lot of flexibility about where you put them and the effects you program into them.

Best Light Bulb
3. Philips Hue A67 Smart Bulb 1600
Philips Hue A67 bulbs are the best HomeKit bulbs you can buy. They're incredibly bright - up to 1600 lumens - so even a small number can light up a cavernous room. Add to that the usual Philips quality and longevity and you've got yourself a brilliant piece of smart home technology.

Most Affordable
4. Meross Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb
Who says HomeKit lighting has to be expensive? These Meross lamps prove otherwise, making them perfect for students. They come with everything you'd expect from smart bulbs, including millions of colors, adjustable brightness, and super easy setup. They are a great affordable choice.

Best Desk Lamp
5. Philips Hue Iris
Prefer a desk lamp? The Philips Hue Iris is our choice here thanks to its beautiful lighting effects and smart features. It's a bit more on the pricey side, but you get peace of mind knowing it's a product from a reliable brand that will last for years.

Best Retro
6. Yeelight Smart LED Filament Bulb
This HomeKit bulb combines retro styling with modern features, giving you the best of both worlds. It brings smart home ingenuity to your dorm in an old-fashioned industrial form, works with a wide range of standards, and is very affordable for what it offers.

You can always rely on iMore. Our team of Apple experts has years of experience testing all kinds of technology and gadgets, so you can be sure that our recommendations and critiques are accurate and helpful. Read more about how we test.

Best overall
1. Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons
Reasons to buy:
- Large number of shapes available
- Let you get creative
- Lots of smart features
Reasons to avoid:
- Can be tricky to remove from a wall

When you think of smart bulbs, Nanoleaf products are usually the first to come in come to mind - and rightly so. The Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons are our favorites, but the company makes lamps in all shapes and sizes. Better yet, you can mix and match the lamps to create different combinations to perfectly decorate your space. But these lamps are not only beautiful, they are also smart. You can sync them to your Mac to reflect your screen content and make them pulse and change color in time with your music. There's even an augmented reality layout assistant in the Nanoleaf app that helps you create the perfect combination of lights for your dorm.

Best Light Strip
2. Govee M1 Matter
Reasons to Buy:
- Nice mood lighting
- Lots of color control
- Flexible and easy to hide

Prefer mood lighting to something more direct? Govee's M1 Matter light strip is a great option. Stick them behind your Mac's display or along the back of your desk and you get a beautiful light show that gives you enough control for any occasion. Each strip of light can display multiple different colors along its length and comes with 20 segments and 17 moving effects that you can customize. Better yet, you can control these lights however you want. Namely, these bulbs are compatible with the Matter standard, which means that in addition to HomeKit, they also work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you have plenty of choice with what you use.

Best Light Bulb
3. Philips Hue A67 Smart Bulb 1600
Reasons to buy:
- Easy to use
- Very bright
- Accurate colours

The Philips Hue series has been a leader in the market when it comes to smart lamps for many years, and it still is. The Hue A67 is one of the best smart bulbs the company offers, with excellent color accuracy, fast response times and an impressive lifespan. Install some of these in your dorm and you will certainly get your money's worth. With 1,600 lumens, the Hue A67 are among the brightest smart lights available. You can control them from your phone, or have a little more fun and speak commands with Siri, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant. If you're looking for smart bulbs, these should be your first choice.

Most affordable
4. Meross Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb
Reasons to buy:
- Needs no hub
- Affordable
Reasons to avoid:
- Not as bright as the Philips Hue
- Average color accuracy

If the Philips Hue A67 is a bit too expensive for you, don't worry – the Meross Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb is an excellent alternative. Sure, it has some limitations compared to the Hue A67, but at this price it's really hard to complain. For example, the maximum brightness is 810 lumens instead of the Hue's 1,600, but 810 is still bright enough for most situations. In return, you get a much cheaper option that gives you HomeKit lighting goodness without breaking the bank. And since it works over Wi-Fi, you don't need a clunky smart home hub either - another way to save money.

Best Desk Lamp
5. Philips Hue Iris
Reasons to buy:
- Subtle lighting effects
- Voice control
Reasons to avoid:
- Quite expensive
- Requires a Hue Bridge for some features

Some HomeKit lights can take some work to set up, but not the Philips Hue Iris. This smart little desk lamp is ready to use in seconds and is ideal for reading, studying or just setting the mood. It spreads its light in a wide dispersion, coloring the walls and creating a subtle ambient effect that suits every time and place. It's very easy to get started, but there are more advanced options if you want something extra. For example, if you pair it with a Philips Hue Bridge, you can use the soft lighting to help you wake up and gradually fall asleep. And like the Hue A67 bulb, the Hue Iris works with Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant and can be controlled with your voice.

Best Retro
6. Yeelight Smart LED Bulb
Reasons To Buy:
- Retro Filament Effect
- Very Affordable

Reasons To Avoid:
- Controls Could Be Better
- Only Available In One Color

Fancy giving your dorm some old school flair? The Yeelight Smart LED Bulb does just that, with retro styles that add a warm glow to wherever you place the lights. The timeless look fits into almost any room, yet is affordably priced so you don't have to break the bank to afford this classic design. It's also a modern design, with easy control via an app or your voice. You can dim the lights...