Decoding "Friends of Hue": Why a $1,000 ET2 Icorona (E35004-MW) Runs on Philips

When you’re spending over $1,000 on a single light fixture, your expectations are high. You’re paying for design, materials, and a flawless experience.

This is the world of luxury lighting, occupied by brands like ET2 and Tom Dixon. It’s a world that has, historically, collided messily with the world of “smart” technology.

The ET2 E35004-MW Icorona—a $1,018, 29-inch aluminum pendant—represents the solution to this collision. It’s a “Smart Light,” but its “smarts” don’t come from ET2. They come from Philips. This is the “Friends of Hue” ecosystem, and it’s a brilliant “outsourcing” strategy that separates design from technology.

The “Friends of Hue” (FoH) Program: What It Is

The “Friends of Hue” (FoH) program is an official partnership. It allows third-party, high-end lighting manufacturers (like ET2) to do what they do best: create beautiful, premium-material fixtures.

In turn, they leave the “smart” part—the wireless chip, the app, the software updates—to the company that does that best: Philips Hue.

This is the key: An “FoH” fixture like the Icorona (B07N4FYVJH) is not a Wi-Fi light. It has a Philips Hue Zigbee chip built inside. It is designed, from the ground up, to be added to an existing Philips Hue Bridge (sold separately).

You are not buying a standalone smart light. You are buying a luxury “accessory” for your established Hue ecosystem.

Why a $1,000 Light Shouldn’t Have Its Own App

Why would a $1,000+ product rely on another company’s hub? Because you, the user, do not want 10 different “smart” apps to control 10 different lights.

• The Problem with “Smart” Hardware Brands: When a hardware-first company (like a telescope maker or a fan maker) tries to build a software app, the results are often “buggy” and “flakey.”
• The “Friends of Hue” Solution: ET2 focuses on the “Matte White” finish and the “Aluminum” construction. Philips focuses on the app, the Alexa/Google Assistant integration, and the software updates.

As 5-star reviewer M.A.S. puts it, this integration is the point. He can “entertain guest with integrated philips hue technology.” He bought it because it worked with his Hue system.

Deconstructing the Icorona (E35004-MW) as a “Luxury” Hue Fixture

When you “get what you pay for” (as M.A.S. notes), what are you actually getting for $1,018.30?

1. The Design & Materials ($800 Value)
This is the primary cost. You are paying for the “fine modern simplistic decor” (M.A.S.). * Material: Aluminum, not plastic. * Design: A 29-inch minimalist ring with a 4-inch profile. * Light Quality: A 60-watt, 3500-lumen “PCB Integrated LED” module designed to last for years, with a “warm white” 3000K color temperature.

2. The “Smart” Integration ($200 Value)
This is the secondary cost: the pre-installed, certified “Friends of Hue” Zigbee module. * Seamless Integration: You open your Hue app, search for a new light, and the Icorona appears natively, just like a Philips-branded bulb. * Full Functionality: It works with all your existing Hue scenes, dimmers, and routines.

This is the solution for the “design-first” homeowner. You get the “look” of an ET2 or Tom Dixon, with the brain of a Philips Hue.

The Critical Prerequisite: You MUST Have a Hue Bridge

This is the most important “gotcha.”

The ET2 Icorona (B07N4FYVJH) will not work out of the box. It does not connect to your Wi-Fi. It is not a “WiZ” light (an entirely different, bridge-less system that [Original Article] confused).

This product is only for users who already own, or are willing to buy, a Philips Hue Bridge.

For the user who has already invested in the Hue ecosystem, the Icorona (E35004-MW) is the perfect “upgrade”—a way to add a $1,000 design piece to their existing tech platform. As M.A.S. concludes, “you will not regret your purchase.”