I’ve been a fan of Philips Hue smart lights since the early days. It's one of the few staples in my ever-changing smart home setup. However, when the Bridge Pro launched late last year, it wasn't immediately obvious why I should upgrade.

Then in April, SpatialAware arrived. This maps the location of lights in a room to distribute the colors and tones of Hue’s lighting scenes across them more intelligently. Suddenly, my existing smart lights felt new again. While MotionAware was the headline feature when the Pro launched, it's SpatialAware that finally sold me on upgrading.

The Good: SpatialAware is genuinely transformative; it works out of the box without additional hardware and supports over 150 lights. The faster response times are a bonus too, though the price tag remains a hurdle. The Bad: Expensive, MotionAware can be slow in certain rooms and doesn't work for every layout, no weekend settings for motion detection, and SpatialAware is only on some scenes.

The Bridge Pro is Hue's most compelling update in years, as long as you're deeply invested in the smart lighting ecosystem. It lets you add up to four MotionAware zones, which could replace the need to spend $49 a pop on Hue’s standalone motion sensors. It can handle more than 150 lights and 50 accessories — three times the standard bridge's limit — making it handy if you're reaching the limit in your current setup.