SMD Spotlights vs. LED - What Is The Difference?
Posted by Richard Clarke on 23rd Aug 2011
Since LED lights burst onto the market a few years ago, they’ve undergone some evolutionary changes that have improved varying aspects of their performance.
One of the most significant steps has been the emergence of SMD technology – short for Surface Mounted Device.
There are a number of reasons for its importance – and we’re going to look at some of those now.
Increase In Energy Efficiency
One of the biggest improvements is that SMD spotlights offer a higher lumen output for a lower energy consumption – making them more powerful and energy efficient than older LED lights.
This is because they work on the principle that fewer and larger SMD LEDs produce a greater lumen output. Let’s see how this works in practice then.
Our Dimmable 6W 27 SMD GU10 LED Bulb contains, as the name suggests, 27 SMDs. It shines with a maximum brightness of 450 lumens and uses 6W.
Now compare this to our 2.5W 48 SMD GU10 LED Bulb that has 48 SMDs. The brightness here is 268 lumens at 2.5W of power consumption.
As you can see, the bulb with fewer SMDs manages to achieve a much higher lumen count – the first bulb manages 16.67 lumens per SMD, whereas the second example only works out at 5.58 lumens per SMD despite having more SMDs.
It is worth remembering though that there is no industry standard for this rule and no two manufacturers follow the same principle.
Wider Beam Angle
SMD spotlights also take care of one of the early criticisms of LEDs from a few years ago – that their light was too concentrated and didn’t spread very well.
Typically, SMD bulbs have a beam angle of 120o – which even exceeds most halogen bulbs.
Indeed, if we go back to our 6W 27 SMD GU10 LED Bulb we looked at earlier, this too has a beam angle of 120o.
Longer Lifespan
SMD LEDs also improve on what was an already impressive lifespan. Standard GU10 LED bulbs last up to 30,000 hours, but our SMD LEDs will keep going for up to 50,000 hours!
So let’s say you’re using your bulbs for an average of 8 hours per day. A 30,000 hour bulb will last you just over 10 years, but a 50,000 hour bulb goes way past that, and keeps shining for over 17 years!
Now think about if you’re using SMD LEDs across your whole house – this drastically reduces maintenance costs and ensures you spend a lot less on replacing your bulbs.
An added benefit of SMDs too are that they are surface mounted – arranged flat to the surface of the bulb. In comparison to our cluster GU10 LED bulbs, they use considerably less space.
Ultimately this means that our SMD spotlights are compatible with all halogen fixtures and are very stylish in appearance.
Taking all this into consideration, it’s probably worth thinking of SMD LEDs as a kind of ‘second generation’ LED light that have made the technology even more versatile and better placed to rival more traditional lighting solutions.
If you’re looking for lower essential energy costs with a high performance bulb then our SMD spotlights are definitely the bulb for you. Better yet, they’re available in GU10 and in MR16 format.
If you do have any further questions about the tech, you can speak to an expert from our team on 0116 321 4120.
