Durable: The major advantage of having smart desk lamps is that they have a long-life span and are able to withstand wear and tear. Averagely, a single led desk lamp offers approximately 35,000 hours of light. Therefore, if you use it at least 8 hours a day, then it can serve you for the next decade. It’s a cute oval shaped light that emits enough light to use as a night light but won’t provide enough to light up an entire room. The light is dimmable between 1% and 100%, and you can set it to be any colour you like through the app. During testing, I was impressed that the lamp optimized its settings to suit my environment, and I never experienced any eye strain. Its near-constant micro-adjustments happen every 60 seconds. However, you have to give the Dyson Link app permission to access your location for the lamp to do this. LED: LEDs are long-lasting, don't get overly warm, and are often adjustable for brightness and color temperature (more warm or cool). For the most natural-looking light, look for a higher Color Rendering Index (CRI), between 85 and 100.

Range of motion: All of the experts consulted for this guide agreed that it's important for lamps to be adjustable, and the larger the range of movement, the better. McGowan said lamps should have "the ability to be positioned to exclude glare on the work surface, keyboard, input display, computer display, or other equipment." A wide range of motion also allows you to move a lamp's light source closer to paper or other objects when needed. The advanced science and engineering involved in the Lightcycle task light by Dyson push far beyond any typical desk lamp, smart or otherwise. Its uniquely industrial, linear aesthetic won't suit all preferences or home decor styles, just like many features won't be necessary for most users. The crossbar construction and rotating base let you place the light precisely where you want with just a light touch. You can certainly find brighter non-smart lamps for lower prices, but you'd miss out on the fine-tuning this smart LED lamp offers: dimmable brightness from 1 to 100 percent, white light temperature tunable between 2000 Kelvin to 5700 Kelvin, and 16 million adjustable colors—in addition to the timer, scheduling, and sunrise/sunset settings.

Cool (4600 – 6500K): This white-blue hue is everywhere in our society, including monitors, TVs, tablets and smartphones. While exposure to it can make you more productive and alert, too much can also lead to eye strain, fatigue and headaches, as well as confusing your body into thinking it’s still light outside. Again, you should avoid using lights of this temperature in the evenings, as it could hinder melatonin production and affect your ability to get to sleep. According to Buchanan, connecting to the hub and additional smart lighting in the Hue line can be worthwhile for smart home aficionados. "I like the Philips Hue Iris because it can easily integrate with Philips' other lights to make impressive displays," says Buchanan. "Like other Philips Hue smart lighting products, the quality and brightness of the lights are top notch." The most obvious advantage of a desk lamp is that you will have more light to see what you’re doing, be it typing on a keyboard, or more analogue activities such as writing or drawing. That in itself is useful enough, but adequate lighting also offers a key health benefit: reducing eye strain and fatigue. The C by GE light stands out for its interestingly futuristic look. This might not be for everyone, but it’s certainly got us hooked.

Brightness and color temperature: Extended computer use can cause eye strain, but proper lighting can help minimize the effects. "Having the appropriate color spectrum has been shown to benefit our sleep/wake cycle, contributing to fatigue and eye strain," said Bert. Look for a light that has brightness settings and also offers different light temperatures, allowing you to adjust the color spectrum throughout the day. Starting with its eye-catching clear, globular design, the Philips Hue Iris makes it easy to see that it's not your typical living room lamp. The integrated LED light, aimed toward the wall or ceiling, can set a custom mood with a vibrant palette of 16 million colors, while also being able to shine a temperature-tunable white light bright enough for reading and everyday activities. When shopping for a smart lamp, first consider its use. Where do you want to place this lamp? Is it for reading, lighting up a room, or ambiance? The versatile MSL450HK Smart Table Lamp from Meross lets you sample the biggest benefits of smart lighting without spending extra on luxury features or a required hub. Its simple cylindrical shape makes it great for the bedside and nearly any tabletop, and you can operate it with touch buttons on the top if you don't feel like using smart controls.The Dyson Solarcycle Morph pairs with your phone and automatically syncs its light output based on your geolocation. There are benefits to all kinds of lamplight, so a lot of this is going to come down to personal preference, but there are specific areas in which each type excels. First, some terminology. Colour temperature is measured on the Kelvin scale (K), with the spectrum roughly divided into three categories: warm, neutral and cool. There’s a little more on either end of the scale, but for this guide, we’re mainly interested in light that falls between 2700 and 6500K.

First, you should know what kind of smart desk lamps are available. These kinds of desk lamps are great if you already have a smart home hub you use for other things because you won’t have to deal with even more hubs, the limits of Wi-Fi, or low-power. As well as brightening up your nine to five, desk lamps can also boost your productivity and are tied to several key health benefits. Add to this all of the additional functions, light colours, designs and bulb types to consider, and you end up with a wide and varied selection to choose from. Dimming Light: With a smart desk lamp, you are able to control the amount of light emitted. As such, you can minimize/avoid damaging your eyes. Too much bright light has negative effects on your eyesight. Always choose a lamp with several brightness levels. The LumiCharge doesn't require any setup, and it has an adjustable arm with an impressive range of motion. The stem offers 145-degree rotation, and the arm itself can be tilted 120 degrees up or 90 degrees side to side. The lamp contains LED bulbs covered by a plastic diffuser that help reduce the harshness of the light. During testing, I adjusted the lamp to my preferred brightness levels with no issues, and it never caused any eye strain or other discomfort. These are cool tactile options, but for those who like touch-free controls, it would've been nice if the device supported voice commands or other smart platform compatibility as well. You can, however, easily sync multiple Glow units to work in tandem with each other.Anton Galang is a freelance writer and reviewer who covers smart home gadgets and a variety of consumer tech for The Spruce and Lifewire. He studied journalism with a focus on magazine editing and began working in the tech field as part of PC Magazine in 2007. He uses a variety of smart home products on a daily basis in his own home, including smart lighting, thermostats, displays, and more.