Great question. Although the number of LED elements can be misleading in some cases and is not necessarily the best way to measure the quality or output of a bulb. The answer in this case is 488 individual SMD LED's. The version and manufacturer of those LED's varies, so even though 1 bulb has 488 doesn't necessarily mean that it is equivalent to another manufacturers 488 LED's because versions change over time. In general LED bulbs become more efficient and produce more light with less power over time. This years version are better than last years version as an example. We use the latest and greatest LED's and to the best of our knowledge our bulbs are the brightest available in the market.

I'm sorry as I research more. more questions come up. How many watts and how do you change colors, on/off switch or included remote? Also, dimensions.

This version consumes 35 watts, but again, watts isn't necessarily a good measurement as the lumens aka light output goes up and watts go down as newer LED's are produced over time. The LED's we use are the latest and greatest available. Lights are controlled by your existing light switch, no separate controllers needed. To advance lights you simply turn off/on within 8 seconds to advance to next color option. Lights have a memory function so when turned off longer than 8 seconds they will remember the last setting when turned back on