Govee StarPal Review: Take it Anywhere Portable Smart Lamp

Govee StarPal function

Govee StarPal Smart Lamp Review: The portable light source to take with you

RRP $ 50.00

"The Govee StarPal Smart Lamp is a solid product that is tarnished by poor app design."

advantages

  • Multiple scenes and color options

  • Portable thanks to battery power

  • Cheap price

  • Radiant colors

disadvantage

  • Antiquated app design

  • Feels fragile

Smart bulbs seem like a dozen these days, but it's hard to find quality – especially at an affordable price. Smart lights are perfect for creating an ambience in a room, whether you're watching a movie with your spouse or sitting down for a gaming binge.

Philips Hue started the smart lamp boom with its Bloom Table Lamp and Go Portable Light, but both of these smart lamps are expensive at $ 70 and $ 80, respectively. The newer Philips Hue Iris table lamp alone costs $ 100. Govee offers a cheaper alternative: the Govee StarPal Smart Table Lamp, which starts at just $ 50. It packs all the functions you would expect from an intelligent lamp into one attractive package.

Features and functions

I tested two different models of the Govee table lamp – the H6055 and H6058. The main difference between the two is that one is bluetooth only while the other is bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatible. The H6058, known as the StarPal Pro lamp, is the focus of this test because of its Wi-Fi compatibility.

A special feature that immediately stood out is that these lamps are battery operated. You can plug them in and use them all the time (and I would recommend that), but if you want to charge them and take them with you on the go, you can get around six hours of full brightness from the 3350mAh battery with the lights on. At 4.9 feet, the power cord is long enough so that you don't have to spend a long time looking for an outlet for your lamp.

Govee StarPal Smart lamp with pink light.

The lamps can display around 16 million different colors and change from warm white to cool white over the course of the day. The color temperatures range from 2,200 K to 6,500 K. These can be exchanged as desired via the app or voice control.

The Wi-Fi lamp (but not the Bluetooth lamp) works with Alexa and Google. There are also IFTTT Govee applets that allow you to further control your lights, although the applets control the Govee Home app – not individual lights.

If you ever feel like having an impromptu dance party, you can sync the lights with music. They blink and change color to the beat, and you have full control over how suddenly the change happens thanks to a multitude of different options in the app. You can choose the sound source, from the built-in music to your phone's microphone.

Of course, the lights are also equipped with the standard smart features: scheduling, sleep / wake cycles and more.

Setup and installation

The Govee StarPal Smart Lamp has two small feet that make it easy to set up on any flat surface. Once you've done that, a physical button on the back is all it takes to turn the light on for the first time. You also have to press the button once while syncing the light with the app.

The Govee Home app guides you through the setup process. It's not difficult, but it has a particular curiosity: you have to manually enter your WiFi network name and password instead of selecting your network from a list. Unless you have renamed your network to something simple, I suggest doing it beforehand.

Other than that one step, the setup process was pretty straightforward. Alexa recognized the new devices immediately and I was able to add them to the Living Room Group without any problems.

Software and performance

As functional as these lights are, the app is terrible. Almost every time I open the app, it first shows that the lights have been disconnected and makes me wait several seconds for it to see them again.

The lights can be turned on and off from the home section of the app, but this process takes two to three seconds. A little buffer wheel even appears in the app while it's working. I expect a little lag between my phone and smart devices, especially those that work over bluetooth, but the time the Govee app takes just feels too much. It's a lot easier to control the lights (and get feedback faster) through the Alexa app.

Aside from the weird delay in controlling the lights, the app shows a lot of information at a glance. It shows how the lights are connected (whether via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or both), the charge of each lamp, and whether it is currently on or off.

Selecting one of the lights opens up further options. You can customize timers, change the color of the light, adjust its brightness and change the mode. There are four different modes: Music, Color, Scene and Home Improvement. These modes are used to manipulate the effects on the lamp. There are more than 32 preset scenes to choose from, some of which are pretty impressive. Others fell a little flat, with slow transition effects or harrowing color combinations that didn't look good together.

The app presents you with an emotional color wheel in which each emotion is displayed next to its corresponding color. If you are trying to create a certain mood in the room, this unique feature can be helpful. I have certainly not seen that with other products.

Strangely enough, the Govee StarPal Pro reacted faster to commands when manipulating individual lights than when switching them on or off from the start page. The app lets you group devices for instant control of the smarts area of ​​the app, but it's not at all intuitive.

The Govee app has a lot of interesting features, but also a lot of problems. The app itself needs to be refined and the controls made more intuitive. I was able to find out how much of it worked, but I would worry that someone who wasn't using smart home devices for a living might bump into a wall.

On the performance side of things, the StarPal Pro is best reserved as an accent light as I wouldn't necessarily say it has the strongest light for reading. That said, with so many color options and scenes, I love using it as an accent light to complement other main sources of light in a room. Cheaper smart lights tend to be weak in terms of color production, but I'm happy to report that they produce rich, vibrant colors that help set the mood.

Our opinion

The Govee StarPal Pro is a budget-friendly lamp that works great – provided you're not using the Govee Home app. After you've set up the lights, use Alexa or Google Home to control the lights and you'll be a lot happier. Apart from control problems, the StarPal Pro is a good-looking lamp that creates atmosphere and atmosphere in your home.

The lamp is a solid device that suffers from poor app design. The good news is that most of the issues I've had with the lamp will go away when Govee updates the app to make it more user-friendly. Just make sure you are looking for the Wi-Fi compatible model and not the bluetooth-only model. Let's face it: nobody wants a smart device that cannot be controlled remotely.

Are there alternatives?

The Philips Hue Bloom costs $ 70 but has the Philips reputation and performance behind it. On the less expensive end of the spectrum, consider the Amazon Echo Glow. Sure, it's intended for kids, but it can create the same environmental effects and work as a wake-up light in the morning, all for just $ 30.

How long it will take?

The Govee StarPal Smart lamp is made of plastic. It's incredibly light and feels a little fragile. I got the impression that with proper care it would last a very long time (and with LEDs it's not likely that the lamps will burn out that quickly) but don't expect it to survive a fall off the shelf. There is a one year limited warranty that covers defects.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Despite my complaints about the app, the lights themselves look great. The control that each light offers is impressive, and the $ 50 price tag makes these lamps much more affordable than other options on the market.

Editor's recommendations



Govee Lyra Smart Floor Lamp Review: A Futuristic Light Show

govee lyra smart floor lamp Rating 3 of 11

Govee Lyra Smart Floor Lamp Review: A fascinating, futuristic light show

RRP $ 150.00

"If there is a bare corner in your home, the Govee Lyra Smart Floor Lamp will illuminate it with light."

advantages

  • Tons of preset light modes to choose from

  • Strong brightness

  • Vibrant colours

Govee is a brand I've talked about a lot over the past few months, in part because their smart lights are affordable compared to alternatives from established brands like Philips Hue and Lifx. Conventional lightbulbs and light strips are widely used in the smart lighting field, saturating the market with products that have very similar purposes and functions – so Govee decides to expand their portfolio with their next device.

At first glance, the Govee Lyra Smart floor lamp with its round base and narrow protruding column looks like something out of a futuristic science fiction film. But once it turns on, there is something intriguing that catches your attention. It's certainly fascinating, but the $ 150 price tag makes it the most expensive model in its ever-expanding range of smart lighting.

Setup and installation

Building the Govee Lyra Smart Floor Lamp is a fairly simple process that consists of four components: a base, a narrow tube, a strip of light and a power connector. The narrow tube is fastened together and then connected to the base, which allows it to have a clearance of 57 inches when fully assembled.

Govee has taken the best features of a smart light strip and transplanted them into a potent floor lamp.

The hardest part of the whole setup is to snake the flexible strip of light along the thin cutout along the tube. It reminds me of your ordinary strip of light that you can hang on a wall or around furniture, but it's encased in a sturdy and flexible rubber-like housing that fits into the narrow channel of the tubes. From start to finish, the entire process takes a maximum of 15 minutes.

design

As I said before, the Govee Lyra Smart Floor Lamp looks very different – so much so that it may not blend well with traditional decor. If you are looking for the minimalist look, you can surely appreciate what Govee is up to here. Compared to the Wyze floor lamp I tested, which looks very much what I expect from a floor lamp, Govee's interpretation is undeniably as minimalistic as it gets.

Two people sing next to Govee Lyra Lamp.

This is not a bad quality in and of itself, especially if it doesn't take up a lot of floor space. I ended up putting it in a corner of my office so the light could bounce off the wall more effectively. And sure, you can position it so that the streak of light is facing away from the wall, but I did the opposite because the intensity of the light can be harsh on the eyes due to its high brightness.

features

Light shows are expected with these types of smart lights, but Govee goes a step further when compared to some other table or floor lamps. Although I really enjoy the ambience that table lamps like the Philips Hue Iris have, they cannot produce different colors at the same time. That is the special thing about the Govee Lyra, because as a light band it can produce many different colors at the same time. This is achieved thanks to Govee's RGBIC (red, green, blue independent control) technology.

A selection of dazzling light patterns is available via the Govee Home app, which is available for Android and iOS. What makes it better is that the light patterns are dynamic rather than just emitting one color – which is fine if you prefer a more static setting, but I enjoy the pattern changes that the Lyra offers. From breathing effects to mimicking the look of candlelight, it's nice to know that there is a pattern to choose from for every mood.

Its versatility underscores the lyra's ability to customize patterns. The app has options for choosing colors and which areas of the lightstrip to turn on so you can customize a light show. There is a mode that allows the lyre to light up when the microphone detects music or sounds. If you want to throw a dance party, the lyre glows beautifully to the beat of the music.

Use the Govee Home app for Android to turn on Govee Lyra.

Finally, it's compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. I managed to set it up with the latter so that I can turn it on and off instantly with voice actions.

perfomance

When it comes to being a main source of light, the brightness of the Govee Lyra easily makes it a perfect reading lamp. It also works well as an accent or ambient light with my particular setup as the light coming from the strip is harsh when looking at it directly.

Govee Lyra Smart floor lamp lighting corner.

Meanwhile, the colors it can produce are saturated in tone – especially when different colors are emitted at the same time. The colors clashing along the wall have something fascinating to say – they make for an impressive light show. Seeing its color explosion through a picture is one thing, but seeing it in action in person or on video is another thing.

Our opinion

The $ 150 cost of the Govee Lyra Smart Floor Lamp is without question the biggest hurdle for most people. It's still expensive, but it's justified when you look at what the competition has to offer.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes and no. There aren't many smart floor lamps out there that offer this level of customization, especially for their price. The only other alternative worth checking out is the Philips Hue Signe, which stands out for its ability to work as ambient light with your home theater experience, but you'll want to pay $ 250 for it.

If you're looking for a smart floor lamp with more emphasis on being a primary light source, you can't beat the Wyze floor lamp. Although it only emits white light, you'll want to pay less than $ 50 for it.

How long it will take?

Fortunately, the base is weighted down enough to prevent the lyre from tipping over, but the thin metal column could be damaged if it accidentally falls over. Otherwise, you can count on long-term use of this lamp as it is based on LED technology. Govee offers a one-year limited warranty that covers defects.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It is a floor lamp that emits strong light and is perfect as a primary light source. And its colored light show will dazzle your eyes.

Editor's recommendations



Govee Aura Smart Table Lamp Review: Animations That Dazzle

The Govee lamp has RGB lights to light up the night.

Govee Aura Smart Table Lamp Review: Animated light show on your desk

RRP $ 60.00

"The Govee Aura table lamp is a smart lamp that uses RGB colors to illuminate its 360-degree surface."

advantages

  • Nice RGB lights

  • Well organized app

  • Lots of presets for different colors and palettes

  • Manual control on the device

disadvantage

  • Cheap plastic construction

  • App restrictions

Smart lighting is one of the easiest smart home technologies that you can incorporate into your home. It's simple, rarely requires anything special, and gives your home a flair that no other smart home category can. Sure, you can get your oven to talk to your phone, and that's a nice trick for showing off at parties. But lighting has a certain subtle charm that cannot be quantified.

So far, most of the smart home lighting I have in my home has come from Philips, and my attempts to expand outside the Philips area have been disastrous. So I was skeptical when Govee offered me the opportunity to try out his table lamp. My skepticism came from two sources. First of all, they're a lighting company that isn't Philips, and besides, I don't use table lamps very much in my house. My house has pretty much all of the lighting fixtures in the ceiling. Still, I wanted to try. So let's dive in.

Design: inconspicuous hardware

Right out of the box, the Govee Aura Smart Table Lamp is a pretty cheap plastic lamp with five buttons on top and branding that is hard to miss on the front underside of the lamp. There is a small brick on the power cord that spoils the overall look of the lamp. It's a tiny brick – so small that it actually feels a bit unnecessary, so overall this wasn't a promising start.

The Govee Aura lamp has RGB lights to brighten up the night.Govee

The lamp is a cylinder that is about 8 inches tall and about 10 inches tall. When lit, only about half an inch at the bottom and a quarter of an inch at the top serve as a kind of aperture. The lamp is bright and can reach 350 lumens and has a temperature range of 2200 – 6500K. Inside is also what Govee calls RGBICWW lighting, which is a fancy way of saying animated, multi-colored lights. One of the nice things about the hardware is that the shell is translucent enough to convey colors clearly, but doesn't reveal the mechanisms inside that would dispel the illusion.

Personally, I prefer buttons on the top just because touch-sensitive panels tend to be either too sensitive or not sensitive enough. A common thread running through most smart lighting lamps is that they typically come in a variety of form factors. It is difficult to say whether this is “better or worse” than the smart table lamp “Tree of Light” from CET; It all depends on your personal preference for your facility.

Software: animations galore

The Govee Aura Smart Table Lamp is mainly controlled via the Govee app which allows you to use different effects and lighting patterns. You can move the lights to music or just show a specific pattern. You can even set up a custom pattern based on your color tastes. Govee also has a couple of dozen animated patterns that swirl the colors inside the lamp, some of which create a pretty cool effect while others move at a slightly jerky pace, giving the illusion of fish swimming in a tank quickly scattered.

Nevertheless, I particularly liked the animations in the lamp. You can choose one of several animations and watch a sunrise, drag clouds in the sky, or see the above fish swimming in a bowl. There were many choices and I found them very enjoyable. Govee got really creative here, which is great because when it comes to things like that, I'm one of the least creative people I know.

Whether for your living room or the children's room, the app offers a design that you will like.

Govee's software even lets you configure custom color swatches and help you by suggesting national flags, stars, seasons, and even the colors of the earth or any of the other planets in the solar system. Govee has put a lot of thought into this software, but in some places it just falls short. For example, yes, Govee suggests the colors of the earth, but you can only pick one at a time. I would like to cycle through all the colors of Mars; that would look really cool.

Additionally, the Govee lamp can be connected to Alexa or Google Assistant, although this is the least useful part of the lamp in my opinion. In all honesty, the Google Assistant rarely understood that I was talking about the lamp, even though I tried different name formats. I've tried "Govee Lamp", "Aura Lamp", "The Desk Lamp", and a few others that I can't print because this is a family friendly site. Needless to say, this part was a little frustrating. I can't tell if the problem was with the Google Assistant or Govee's software. I would often say “turn on the Govee lamp” and watch the Google Assistant transcribe “turn on the Gobi lamp”. Whatever the case, there is work to be done here.

Performance: Strong colors that attract attention

Govee wants you to enjoy your RGB lamp in a variety of ways. You can customize it yourself or let the Govee software team do things for you. You can set the lamp on a timer and let it wake you up. When you don't feel like whipping out your phone and opening the app, you can tap the buttons at the top to turn the lamp on or off, adjust the brightness, and even switch to music mode. In short, I wasn't a fan of table lamps before. Now I'm looking for places in my house where I could put another one.

The Govee Aura lamp can light up in many different configurations.Adam Doud / Digital Trends

With its dazzling effect, the Govee Aura Smart Table Lamp can potentially be the center of attention anywhere. At the same time, its vivid colors and animations create an atmosphere that other static lights lack.

Our opinion

This is not a perfect product. The build quality is questionable and probably wouldn't survive a fall from the table to a wooden floor. The lump on the power cord is repulsive. The branding that is in the front and center of the lamp is honestly cheesy. But overall, I like what Govee is doing here, and that's mostly because of the software. Yes, there are a few shortcomings as well, but I imagine these are pretty easy to fix.

Is there a better alternative?

We've got a roundup of the best smart lights you can buy today. there is no lack of them. The next would probably be that Aukey Touch RGB lampwhich looks very similar to this lamp but has a touch sensitive base as opposed to buttons on the top.

The Philips Hue Iris costs a lot more, but it is a different type of table lamp that naturally fits in well with the Philips Hue ecosystem. Additionally, you can direct the light onto walls or wall art for some neat accent lighting.

How long it will take?

The build quality of this lamp is not the best. It's pretty much top-down plastic that has some shock-resistant properties to be sure. Even so, I would be nervous if I put this too close to the edge of a table, especially over a hardwood or tile floor. The lamp has a one-year limited warranty from the date of purchase, which is nice, but there's no telling how long this would last.

Should you buy it?

Yes. This is a beautiful product that can be great fun. Whether for your living room or the children's room, the app offers a design that you will like. In fact, there are likely several designs out there that you will like. At $ 55 (as of this writing), this isn't the cheapest smart table lamp out there, but the app development really shows off at Govee. It also turns out that smart table lamps are fun! Who knew I really love this lamp and will definitely start with Govee when shopping for smart lighting in the future.

Editor's recommendations



Wyze Floor Lamp Review: Slick Design, Could Be Smarter

Wyze floor lamp desk

Wyze floor lamp review: Smooth design, could use more smarts

"It's not perfect, but the minimalist design and cost of the Wyze floor lamp make it a consideration."

  • Sleek looking minimalist design

  • Bright light source

  • Very affordable cost

Most companies usually clean up their product launches, but that's not how Wyze does things. In the past year, the company has played a role that is unparalleled in the smart home sector. While it has only been a few months since the Wyze Bulb Color was launched, the company is back with yet another new lighting solution – the Wyze floor lamp.

You may be wondering how Wyze's interpretation of a floor lamp can go beyond the obvious function of connecting. Let me say right away that the company is only charging $ 30 for this. That might be enough to make some people think about buying, but does it fall victim to the age-old adage, "You get what you pay for?"

This nifty, Ikea-like minimalist design

If there is one specific aspect of the Wyze floor lamp that immediately catches my attention, it has to be its minimalist design. Seriously, this thing looks like it was made by Ikea's designers. Setting up is also a breeze, as the three parts of the floor lamp only have to be twisted together after unpacking.

Wyze floor lamp light ton themeJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

By the time it reaches 5 feet (11 inches) in height when fully stretched out, it can easily soar over tables and desks – though it's worth noting that two feet of its length is reserved for its flexible, posable neck. It is still enough to comfortably tower over couches, couches, and even loungers. The base is reinforced with enough weight to prevent it from falling over, but thanks to its 0.5-inch height, it can fit nicely even with small spaces.

This thing seems to have been made by Ikea's designers.

While its design is more compatible with other modern decorations, its minimalism doesn't clash too much with other styles. Well, unless it's in Grandma's living room. Still, I really wish there were other color options besides black.

Semi-smart, needs more options

Speaking of options, technically there is a lightbulb that is supposed to work with it – the included Wyze PARB lightbulb, which the company calls a parabolic aluminized reflector. It's a lightbulb entirely contained in the cone-shaped case that screws into the socket to ensure that the minimalist design is maintained. It has a maximum brightness of 800 lumens, but is set so that it only emits at a color temperature of 4,000 Kelvin. This is wonderful if you always prefer natural daylight, but there are some people who prefer warmer color temperatures which are more ideal for nighttime use.

A special remote control is included in the scope of delivery of the Wyze floor lamp, which is coupled to the PARB lamp via Bluetooth LE 5.0. It has a magnetic base that allows it to be firmly attached to the metal base of the lamp or other surfaces. It's great to be able to control the intensity of the light with the button in addition to the Wyze mobile app. However, since it is powered by Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0, it lacks the real remote control that other smart lights offer. When you are not at home, you cannot turn it on and off. There's a scheduling feature and smart dimming mode via the Wyze app, but none are as useful as the full remote or voice-activated operation that traditional smart lights offer.

As already mentioned, the remote control is only intended to work with the PARB lamp, so that other intelligent LED light bulbs offered by Wyze cannot work with this floor lamp. It's a bummer because it would have given the Wyze floor lamp significant versatility by giving users options for color, true wireless operation, and color temperature control. Hoping for at least one more PARB lightbulb down the street.

Focused lighting

If you are looking for a floor lamp that should focus the light in the smallest of spaces, the Wyze floor lamp is just right for you. There are a total of 15 individual condenser lenses that focus the light at an angle of 23 degrees. This makes it an ideal light to read or illuminate something you might be working on while at your desk. It's a strong light source that is a little harsh because it casts shadows.

Wyze floor lamp LEDsJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Since it is a focus light, it is not good to illuminate large rooms and spaces. It's just not meant for that, but it works well for highlighting murals and smaller decorative pieces. You could direct the light up to the ceiling, but it doesn't have the same diffusing effect to get full room coverage.

Our opinion

In all fairness, this is not what I would classify as your traditional smart light as it does not have the basic quality of being remotely controlled outside of the home. You still have local operation with the remote or mobile app, but I would prefer to control the voice assistant when I'm just too lazy to get up.

On the other hand, we don't often come across a floor lamp that offers a powerful source of light in a minimalist design like this one. There is certainly room for improvement, but there are some advantages to being a custom light – even more so if it only costs $ 30. That's cheaper than unplugged floor lamps that you can find at Target or Ikea. That alone is worth bragging about.

How long it will take?

I am convinced of the quality of workmanship of the Wyze floor lamp, as the base and the body are made of metal. The only unknowns is how well the joint neck will hold up over the long term, as well as the light bulb, which is designed to last for 25,000 hours. Fortunately, there is a three-year warranty on the lightbulb – while the stand and remote have a one-year limited warranty.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really in the floor lamp room, especially at this price point. There are other decorative smart lights and bulbs to consider, such as the Philips or Hue Iris Mi bedside lampboth of which glow in different colors to match the decor or mood.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It's not often that you find a semi-joined floor lamp at this price point. In some cases, it's cheaper than a traditional floor lamp that you can find at a furniture store or retail store.

Editor's recommendations