Now available in the US and Canada, the Eve Flare is a HomeKit-compatible multicolor light from Eve Systems. The Flare launched in Europe last year.
The Flare is an orb moodlight that you can leave on the charging inductive base, or pick it up and move it around your house for up to six hours at a time. You can turn the light on or off with Siri or the Home app through HomeKit, as well as change the hue and brightness. The Flare can of course participate in your HomeKit scenes and automations too. It is rated at IP65 water resistance so you can take it outside and not worry too much about precipitation from the weather.
The Eve Flare is similar in concept to the Hue Go from Philips. The Go offers 3 hours battery life between charges, whereas the Flare advertises double that at 6+ hours. However, the Flare light is a 90 lumen LED whereas the Go boasts 300 lumen maximum brightness.
The lower power rating is probably fine though if you are using these lights for their intended purpose; mood, spectacle, lighting. They are not designed to be the primary light source of a room.
With standard white color temperatures, 90 lumens is more than adequate as a bedside reading light. The Flare even integrates a carry handle which you can use to hang it up it like a lantern, if you want.
The Flare uses a Bluetooth HomeKit connection, with no hub required. Although WiFi is generally preferred communication protocol for HomeKit, Bluetooth is standard for portable smart home accessories. You can control the light through Eve’s own app, Apple Home on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch, or with voice commands through Siri.
If you connect the Flare to a HomeKit hub, like an Apple TV, then you can use HomeKit’s automation features when you aren’t physically at home, like changing the color in sync with sunset and sunrise.
The Eve Flare is available now in the US and Canada for $99.99.
