(Not the parent poster) I have Phillips Hue lights and they can turn onto a dim setting without a bright flash. They also can fail-normal if you change the default settings.
They've added a popup to the app recently saying that soon Hue will require an account to work though, so I don't recommend them anymore. I've been meaning to move them to a separate offline network before they force update them to require an account. I originally purchased them because of how well they functioned locally without needing any Phillips cloud stuff. But sometimes I still use the official app instead of my homebrew setup.
If you own your own home, smart switches with dumb dimming capable lights are the way to go IMO. I'm still renting though.
They've added a popup to the app recently saying that soon Hue will require an account to work though, so I don't recommend them anymore. I've been meaning to move them to a separate offline network before they force update them to require an account. I originally purchased them because of how well they functioned locally without needing any Phillips cloud stuff. But sometimes I still use the official app instead of my homebrew setup.
If you own your own home, smart switches with dumb dimming capable lights are the way to go IMO. I'm still renting though.