Soft Apple vs Hicks' Blue
Where Soft Apple belongs to Dulux's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Soft Apple reads as yellow, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Soft Apple has an LRV of 83. Soft Apple runs warm while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 61.1, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Soft Apple vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Soft Apple and Hicks' Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Soft Apple vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Soft Apple on one side and Hicks' Blue on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Soft Apple comparisons
See how Soft Apple stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 69, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 83 and 83, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 52, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 30, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 60, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 43, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 4, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 84 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 83 vs 21, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Soft Apple reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 83 and 83, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 83 vs 51, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 68), opening up a space where Skimming Stone encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 41, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Soft Apple reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 31, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 7, Soft Apple is decisively the brighter choice.