The Philips Skylight is a convincing imitation of a real one
23-10-2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Pictures: Martin Jungfer
Work from home in your basement, or got a bathroom without natural light? Then the Philips Skylight might be just the thing for you. I tried out this light that brings blue sky into the room.
What do submarines, secret service torture chambers and the crew quarters on cruise ships have in common? There’s no natural light. Typical Swiss bathrooms, located at the core of a building layout, also fit into this category. Architects often design with the floor area ratio in mind, rather than so you can see the morning sun while putting on makeup or shaving.
With the Skylight, you can «transform any space», as the manufacturer puts it, «by bringing the feeling of daylight indoors» with this lighting panel. It also helps regulate your biological clock and can even support the body’s natural production of vitamin D.
Will this gadget provide the enlightenment so many people are after? Philips asks me if I’d like to try out this new product. I take them up on this offer, because there’s a room in my holiday rental that doesn’t have a window and only gets a little natural light from the hallway. That’s where I install the light, assisted by a professional. Christoph’s an electrician, and he’s screwed more light fixtures into ceilings and walls in his life than I’ve written articles for the magazine.
Together with him, I take the Skylight out of the box. I got the small version to test. It measures 45 by 65 centimetres and is eight centimetres tall. The larger version’s an impressive 90 centimetres long by 60 centimetres wide.
My first impression is positive. Cardboard does a good job of protecting the lighting panel, without the need for styrofoam or plastic. The Skylight is also wrapped in a kind of pillowcase. Apart from the lamp, the box contains assembly and operating instructions, safety instructions, a remote control, the ceiling mount, plus screws and anchors.
The Skylight’s made up of a white metal frame and a plastic panel that looks like frosted glass. Everything has a neat and high-quality finish; there are no sharp burrs, which are often left behind from the injection moulding process. The light fixture feels smooth all over.
How do you install the skylight?
The metal adds weight, taking the skylight to a good six kilogrammes. That explains why ten screws are needed to install the ceiling mount. But Christoph and I take a risk and decide to drill only eight holes (five millimetres) into the solid concrete ceiling. This doesn’t take long – especially for him, as a pro with a professional-grade tool (a powerful impact drill with a vacuum attachment).
We mark the holes with a pencil. The way Philips has designed the frame is clever. Even if the holes aren’t drilled with perfect precision, it’s still possible to mount the light straight, that’s to say exactly parallel to the edge where the ceiling meets the wall.
We use the screws and anchors Philips provided. They may not be brand-name products, but they get the job done. Using the electric screwdriver, the screws are countersunk in a matter of minutes, and the frame’s securely attached to the ceiling.
Now it’s time to hang the lighting panel. And I mean that quite literally. Two steel cables with carabiners connect the light to the ceiling mount. Once the Skylight’s secured, Christoph gets down to the electrical work. He inserts the wires coming out of the ceiling into the plastic box with the terminal blocks. They’re the old-fashioned ones you screw in. Christoph comments that, given the light’s price tag, he would’ve expected modern plug-in terminals. Last but not least, there’s the ground wire.
Now all that’s left is to mount the light horizontally on the ceiling. At the moment, it’s wired and suspended from the bracket. For this step, we place it on the wall mount and then slide it just under two centimetres until it clicks into place. That’s neat. To remove it, you’d simply press the Skylight slightly upwards against the ceiling and slide it in the opposite direction. Then it comes loose.
The mechanism has one minor drawback – there’s a gap of a few millimetres between the ceiling and the top edge of the lamp. This means the Skylight doesn’t look like it’s fully joined to the ceiling.
How is the Skylight illuminated?
I forget all about this gap as soon as I switch on the light for the first time. When I press the light switch, it draws 40 watts and shines at full brightness – 3,800 lumens, to be precise. To put this in perspective, that’s the brightness of six old 60-watt incandescent bulbs or a modern LED floodlight.
The gadget shines light through the frosted rectangular panel in the frame, successfully tricking my brain into thinking I have a real skylight. That’s mainly because the lamp emits sky-blue light in «Energize» mode. The built-in LEDs don’t illuminate the inside of the frame evenly, creating a shadow effect just like a real window. The small room where we installed the Skylight seems much brighter and it feels as if there’s a new window up on the ceiling.
In the video below, you can see the lighting effects as I cycle through the different modes.
Here are a few real-world figures on brightness: at a distance of about one metre from the light, I measure 400 lux in the brightest mode, called «Energize». According to labour inspection agencies, offices must have an illuminance of 500 lux. To achieve this value, lights are often installed above the desks. The Philips Skylight provides almost the same level of brightness, even though it’s hanging from a 2.60-metre-high ceiling in my home.
The gadget I tested has an added bonus – it features the VitaUp module. When you press the button on the remote control, the Skylight emits light containing UV-B radiation, which our bodies need to produce vitamin D. Philips isn’t allowed to claim that the light produces vitamin D in users – there’s no scientific evidence to support this. That’s why phrases like «may support» are used. What’s more, the radiation from the Skylight is still multiple times lower than what you’re exposed to during a midday walk. Having said that, the light from the Skylight hits the skin at the correct wavelength for vitamin D production – that is, between about 280 and 320 nanometres.
How is the Skylight operated?
As mentioned above, the easiest way for me to operate the Skylight is using the light switch on the wall. But that doesn’t let me get the most out of the lamp. The reason? It offers five different brightness levels: «Refresh», «Energize», «Focus», «Relax» and «Rest». The first three settings are the brightest; the other two are significantly darker. Regardless of these preset levels, you can set and adjust the brightness to suit your preferences.
There’s a remote control for this. I pair it with the lamp by pressing and holding the power button. The remote control responds to touch but doesn’t provide haptic feedback. It also isn’t backlit, making it difficult to switch on in the dark, especially because it’s square and I can’t feel the power button in the top left corner. On the other hand, it’s useful that the small panel is magnetic, because it means I can stick it to a metal surface. Or I can use the small metal plate that comes with it and attach it to the wall. This way, the Skylight remote control is always neatly stored away.
Ideally, you shouldn’t need to touch the remote all day. At least if you’re using «Auto Rhythm». With this option, you switch on the skylight, and it simulates light as it shifts over the course of a day. Philips recommends activating this mode between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. That way, the duration of the lighting scenes will most closely match reality. The Skylight itself doesn’t have a built-in clock. Another annoying thing is that, even at night, the Skylight never gets completely dark. It stays in «Rest» mode, where it still gives off a very faint glow, making Auto Rhythm mode unsuitable for bedrooms.
I can activate Vitamin D mode using the remote control. But there’s no display on the panel to show whether the mode’s currently active. I have to look up at the skylight, where a small blue LED is lit.
And what about Hue?
Perhaps you only clicked on this review because you’re a fan of Philips’ Hue system. You might have already thought about how to incorporate the skylight into your scenes. Well, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.
The Skylight series is not compatible with Hue. Even though the lighting panel is from the same company. Even though that’s something you’d want and, indeed, expect. After all, just the small version of the Skylight will set you back around 500 francs. Even a table lamp costing a fraction of the price is compatible with Hue. Well, Philips has decided to launch the Skylights without smart controls – no Zigbee, no Wi-Fi, no Matter over Thread. Nothing. A missed opportunity, if you ask me.
It’s possible to use a wall switch module as a workaround. At least this way, you can turn the Skylight on and off using the Hue app. But scene control and lighting mode still won’t work.
Lighting accessories
EUR54,89
Philips Hue Wall-mounted switch module (1-channel) for non-smart bulbs, single pack
In a nutshell
A convincing imitation, but it would be even better if it were smart
Until now, the Philips Skylight was mainly geared towards professional settings, such as offices, lobbies and medical practices. The lamp creates a very convincing illusion of a skylight. It works because the intensity and temperature of the light, reflected off the frame, creates a play of shadows.
Although there are a total of ten screws, it’s simple enough even for inexperienced DIYers to install. The Skylight also boasts an intuitive and easy-to-use remote control. Auto Rhythm mode is the only thing that lets it down. To use it, I need to switch on the Skylight in the early evening. The price I pay for this is that it never gets completely dark. Hue fans will be disappointed that the lamp can’t be integrated into a smart home system – an oversight that might end up being a deal-breaker.
Pro
- Integrated module to provide UV-B radiation
- Simple ceiling mounting
- Easy-to-use remote control
- Five different lighting moods
- Creates the effect of a real skylight
Contra
- Not compatible with Hue
- Auto Rhythm mode needs you to plan ahead
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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