Govee Floor Lamp Pro: one-minute review
If you’re looking for a standing floor lamp with a bunch of smart features, a vast array of lighting moods, and a built-in Bluetooth speaker, you’ll struggle to do better than the Govee Floor Lamp Pro. That’s partly because it’s the only floor lamp that currently offers this feature set, but also because it’s rather good.
It’s not without its quirks and certainly not perfect, but the lamp shines (literally) when it comes to adding ambiance to your home, replete with some fun features that set it apart from more serious offerings. If you’re looking for an affordable way to liven up your space, it’s one of the best smart lights around.
Out of the box, the first thing I was struck by was the assembly. My current favorite floor lamp is the Philips Hue Signe Gradient Floor Lamp, a pricey HomeKit offering with a range of lighting moods and a premium design. While that lamp comes pre-assembled (and ships in a commensurately large box), the Govee alternative comes in bits.
You’ll need to attach four metal strips to the base using a series of metal brackets held in place by screws. Once that’s done, you connect the wiggly tube that holds the lighting magic and stuff it into the metal shell. The assembly wasn’t overly complicated, it’s definitely a bit finicky and might turn off users who just want a plug-and-play lamp right out of the box.
While the overall design of the Govee Floor Lamp Pro feels solid, it doesn’t exude the quality of a Philips Hue fixture. The metal feels a little bit cheap and the electronic connection between base and light didn’t fill me with confidence. Once built however, the overall design feels sturdy and solid, and while it doesn’t feel like a premium light fixture like the Hue, it’s also around half the price.
Using the Govee Floor Lamp Pro takes the form of Govee’s own app, available on iPhone and Android. There’s no HomeKit or Matter support, but Alexa and Google Home users do benefit from compatibility. As a HomeKit user myself, all my testing was done through Govee’s app. While it’s not going to win any Apple Design Awards any time soon, the app enables connecting your lamp to your home Wi-Fi network, which was seamless, and then all of the lighting options. The Govee Floor Lamp Pro supports some 16 million colors in a plethora of configurations, scenes, and settings.
You can choose any block color from a range of presets or a color wheel, and there’s a simple Illumination section for ambient, natural light for reading and beyond. Like other Govee products, the Floor Lamp Pro can also tune into music, either through its built-in microphone or from your mobile device as it’s playing, providing rhythmic lighting to match your tunes.
There’s also a DIY section where you can try other people’s cool scenes, and a finger sketch option where you can create your own combinations. There’s also a cool Scenes section, my personal favorite, which draws various colors together into scenes such as sunrise, sunset, aurora, and others.
As you can see, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro offers practically infinite possibilities when it comes to lighting your home. It’s useful for parties, gaming, office work and reading, or literally anything else you can think of. There are settings for brightness and color, timers, and literally anything else you can think of. Immensely versatile, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro is useful in almost any situation.
By nature of its design, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro lends itself best to wall washing. It’s most effective when used to bathe a surface or a corner of your home in ambient light. It does work as a directional lamp, but you’ll be missing out on a lot of the fun and functionality of the device. The Pro’s design over previous Govee offerings means it’s a lot taller and has a much wider luminous cross-section, putting out a ton of light all in one place.
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro ships with a couple of nifty features you won’t find on rivals that really make it stand out. While the app is delightfully comprehensive and versatile, sometimes you just want to turn the light on, pick a color, and be done with it. To that end, there’s a handy remote that lets you control the power, brightness, or the color and temperature of your light. Without even touching your phone you can turn on the light in seconds, pick from a range of colors, and be on your way. There’s even a magnetic clamp you can use to attach your remote to the body of the lamp, keeping it safe and secure.
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro’s party piece is the Bluetooth speaker built into its base. It’s not audiophile quality, but it can be used via Bluetooth from your smartphone or tablet to play music or podcasts. It’s got a reasonable range of audio and is nice for a bit of bedroom mood music or as the centerpiece for an impromptu party. The speaker also powers the app’s onboard ambient white noise, although the quality of these left a lot to be desired, you probably won’t want to use any of them.
Overall, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro is a brilliantly versatile and comprehensive smart lamp. It might not boast the premium fit and finish of a Philips Hue alternative, but it’s a lot cheaper and just as cheerful.
Govee Floor Lamp pro: specs
| Colors | 16 million |
| Brightness | 2100 lumens |
| Temperature | 2200k to 6500k |
Govee Floor Lamp Pro: price and availability
- List price: $219 / £219 (about AU$320)
- Discounts often available
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro can be found on Govee’s website in both the UK and the US, retailing at $219 / £219 (about AU$320). However, it’s usually discounted to around $185 / £170 (about AU$270), so it pays to shop around for a bit of a bargain.
It can also be picked up on Amazon for a similar price, again with discounts down to $199 / £170 (about AU$290). That’s a pretty decent price for a well-equipped lamp with lots of features. To put that into perspective, Philips Hue’s Signe Gradient lamp retails for $329 / £279 (about AU$480). The latter comes assembled and has a more premium build, but the Govee alternative will do much the same job of lighting your space and comes with the added benefit of a built-in Bluetooth speaker and a remote.
Should you buy the Govee Floor Lamp Pro?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Govee Floor Lamp Pro: also consider
| Govee Floor Lamp 2 | Philips Hue Gradient Signe Floor Lamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $149/£149 | $159.99 / £139.99 |
| Designed for | Living room, bedrooms | Indoors and outdoors |
| Voice command compatibility | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Matter | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple HomeKit |
| Colors | 16 million | 530lm |
| Brightness | 1725 Lumens | 2500 Lumens |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, Zigbee |
Not sold on the Govee Floor Lamp Pro? Here are two other smart floor lamps you should consider.
How I tested the Govee Floor Lamp Pro
- I used the Govee Floor Lamp Pro for several days
- I connected it to my home Wi-Fi network and used its app extensively
- I tested all of its features including the speakers
I’ve used the Govee Floor Lamp Pro for three weeks, mostly as a nightstand in my bedroom. I placed it in various positions throughout my home, including in various different corners and settings.
I used the Govee app extensively to control the lamp after pairing it with my iPhone, going through all of the various settings, color options, and features.
I have five years of smart home journalism experience and have extensively tested a broad range of smart home products including smart lights, plugs, speakers, and more. I have also tested other smart lamps in this specific product category field, notably the Philips Hue Signe Gradient and the Govee Floor Lamp 2, which has helped to inform my review. Read more about how we test.
First reviewed September 2024
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QwGoo6umtwdsHELicefnLe-1200-80.jpg
Source link
stephen.warwick@futurenet.com (Stephen Warwick)
