A wave of discounts on Hue, Govee, Aqara, and other smart home gear is landing right before Apple's next hardware launch.
Apple's new smart home hub is expected to ship next week, built around a rumored 6-inch square display with an iMac G4-style design and four color options, controllable via touch or Siri. Ahead of that launch, a roundup of discounts has dropped across lights, smart plugs, locks, cameras, sensors, and robot vacuums that work with HomeKit and the Matter standard. Prices range from Philips Hue bulb kits under $70 to Aqara smart locks under $100 to robot vacuums discounted by $300 or more. Every device listed is compatible with the incoming hub, since it is expected to control any HomeKit or Matter accessory in a home.
The timing is the real story here. Hardware makers and retailers have an obvious incentive to clear inventory right before a splashy Apple launch nudges shoppers into buying more smart home gear, and folding that incentive into a deals roundup makes the sale look more urgent than it is. For a reader filling gaps in an existing HomeKit setup, the discounts are genuinely useful regardless of the hub's release date.
A good price on a Hue bulb is still a good price on a Hue bulb, even when the headline above it is doing some selling of its own.