The long-awaited Aputure RC RGB smart bulb is reborn as the Accent B7c

In the last 10 years Aputure has grown from a relative newcomer in the video light industry to a dominating force which has given rise to a new generation of LED lights and technology.

Now, with the introduction of smart bulbs, they are pushing the industry forward again while also making high quality video lighting accessible to even beginners.

Aputure RC RGB: A long time waiting

Announced first back at NAB 2019, the Aputure RC RGB easily became one of the most anticipated lighting products of 2019.

Many video creators already use smart bulbs like the Philips Hue to add color to their videos.

A smart bulb made with filmmaking in mind would fix a lot of the issues such as flickering and lack of on-light controls while also offering more automation and programability.

Aputure claimed the new bulbs would feature a built-in battery for up to 100 min of run time, wireless control via an app, improved color accuracy, and more.

Sadly, though Aputure said we’d see the bulbs in fall of 2019, they — like many products previewed at NAB — never materialized, and just like that it looked like the RC RGB might never see the light of day.

The second coming? NAB 2020

With NAB 2020 cancelled due to Covid-19, Aputure decided to instead announce the new products it had intended to release there via live-streams.

Every Wednesday starting April 22 (and going until May 13) they announced a new product or two.

We got the 300x, a major update to the Sidus Link wireless control app, the 60d/60x, and the 600d.

These were four major releases, but sadly it looked like we didn’t get any update on the RC RGB smart bulbs.

There was no posts on Aputure’s social media about them and no videos from tech news creators on them so it was safe to assume they either were never coming or would be announced later in the year.

New name who this? RC RGB = Accent B7c

Despite the frustration, I decided to skim through the live-streams to see if Aputure had teased anything about the long awaited bulbs.

And that’s when I found it…

At around the 23 min mark of the May 6th live-stream (the first part of which Aputure had spent announcing the 60d/60x), they finally talked about their smart bulbs!

You can watch that part of the live-stream here (jump to the 23:20 mark) but here’s the TLDR:

The RC RGB bulbs have been renamed the Accent B7c/7W RGBWW — quite a confusing name on the surface — so let’s breakdown what it means.

B7c is more than a new name

The original RC RGB lights were only supposed to be 5W bulbs, so the “7W” part of the new name represents an increase in the bulb’s total watt output.

The “RGBWW” part refers to another improvement, notably the inclusion of two white LED chips for better color rendition and accuracy.

Besides the rename, the new bulbs sport an all-new design with a hole/indentation in the top for cooling and improved light diffusion.

Rounding out the features, we got confirmation that the new bulbs will also have:

• Built-in control buttons for on/off, brightness, and color temperature
• Internal battery provides up to 70 min at max power
• Sidus Link App Compatible for wireless control and effects
• TLC/CRI scores of up to 97 (no finalized numbers yet)

Price and release date?

Though not providing an exact release date, Aputure did say we could expect to see the B7c sometime Summer 2020.

They were also somewhat vague on price though Ted did say that they wanted to make them affordable and were hoping to make the bulbs available for $60-$69.

For that price the bulbs are more expensive than the Philips Hue but cheaper than the $90 Aputure MC RGBWW Mini LED Light — definitely affordable enough for most people to pick up a couple.

Let’s just hope Aputure actually releases these light bulbs sometime this summer…