Of note here is that Phillips hue now force an account to use their lightbulbs, which means they aren't really "standalone" anymore. They now force data sharing and may remove non cloud use in the future.
If you prefer to use a local home automation option like home assistant or hubitat, Phillips bulbs just got way worse.
If you're into the smart lighting thing, depending on what you're looking for Philips hue has some decent deals on same lights and accessories.
Of note here is that Phillips hue now force an account to use their lightbulbs, which means they aren't really "standalone" anymore. They now force data sharing and may remove non cloud use in the future.
If you prefer to use a local home automation option like home assistant or hubitat, Phillips bulbs just got way worse.
I thought the bulbs still function as stand alone ZigBee devices to use with a bridge of your choice
I'm using a Conbee2 + Zigbee2MQTT for this exact reason.