Brighten up your smart home with these dazzling Govee lights

When it comes to smart light bulbs, you may not be as familiar with Govee lights bulbs and lights strips as you are with other popular brands such as Philips Hue, but it would be a mistake to overlook this unique player. Since 2017 Govee has aimed to upgrade everyday life with its colorful smart LED lights that let you illuminate and customize your space. Whether you’re looking to brighten up your living room, backyard, or entertainment room, these are the best Govee light bulbs and light strips to get.

Best overall bulb: Govee Wi-Fi Smart Light Bulbs

If you’re looking for the best Govee light bulb, then you don’t have to look much further than Govee’s color-changing smart light bulbs that easily connect to your home Wi-Fi. These bulbs are compatible with Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa, so if you use one of these ecosystems, you can turn your lights on or off with a quick voice command and through the app.

Govee smart light bulbs can help you transform your space or create the perfect atmosphere to suit your mood with 16 million color options, white temperatures ranging from 2700K to 6500K, and eight preset scene modes such as reading or candlelight mode. What’s unique about these bulbs over other smart light bulbs such as Sengled is that you can upload one of your favorite photos into the app, which will then identify the colors from the image and apply them to your Govee lights. DIY mode also lets you customize the colors and speeds to create five different lighting effects.

Govee also offers a sunrise and sunset mode so your bulbs will brighten or darken as you wake up or fall asleep, and you can even set up timers so your lighting automatically matches your daily routine when you’re cooking, working, etc. And if you own more than one Govee bulb, you can create groups to control up to 50 bulbs at once. This is useful when you walk into a big living room, and you want all lights to turn on or change colors at once.

Pros:

• Voice, app, and remote control
• 16 million colors and dimmable
• Control up to 50 bulbs
• 50,000-hour lifespan
• DIY mode

Cons:

• Limited size and shape options

Best overall bulb

Govee Wi-Fi Smart Light Bulbs

• $23 at Amazon (2 Pack)
• $36 at Walmart (2 Pack)

Rainbow of colors

Offering 16 million vivid colors and a range of warm to cool whites, this standard A19 bulb is perfect for most homes.

Best Bluetooth bulb: Govee Bluetooth Smart Light Bulbs

The Govee Bluetooth smart light bulb offers many of the same great features as the Wi-Fi bulb. However, what you miss out on is voice control and being able to turn your lights on and off while you’re away from home. But if you’re fine using an app to adjust your lighting, these bulbs are an excellent pick and offer the same range of 16 million different colors as well as various shades of dimmable white.

In addition to eight preset scene modes, DIY customization mode, and a timer function, you get one bonus over the Wi-Fi bulbs: dynamic music mode. So if you’re someone who likes to throw a good party, each Bluetooth bulb comes equipped with a built-in mic that makes your lights pulse and change along with the beat of your music.

When it comes to group mode, you’re able to connect up to six bulbs together and control each one from 196 feet away. If you want the opportunity to control more bulbs at once, you’ll need to upgrade to a Wi-Fi bulb. Nevertheless, these bulbs have a long lifespan and use 80 percent less power than traditional incandescent bulbs, making them an investment you won’t feel guilty about.

Pros:

• No hub required
• 16 million colors and dimmable
• 50,000-hour lifespan
• Energy saving
• Dynamic music mode

Cons:

• Limited size and shape options
• Can connect only 6 bulbs
• Doesn’t work with voice assistants

Best Bluetooth bulb

Govee Bluetooth Smart Light Bulbs

• $24 at Amazon
• $31 at Walmart (2 Pack)

Dance the night away

Personalize and customize your space with colorful lighting and sync your Govee smart light bulbs to your music with dynamic music mode.

Best for home entertainment: Govee Immersion Wi-Fi TV Backlight

If you’re looking to improve your home entertainment and transform your average night of binge-watching, the Govee Immersion TV Backlight is just what you need. This 12.5-foot backlight comes in four sections and will suit most 55 to 65-inch flatscreens. It’s more affordable than a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, yet offers a comparable experience by adding dimension to what’s happening on your TV screen.

Thanks to ColorSense technology and a 1080p HD camera, these backlights recognize and capture the colors on your TV screen while you’re gaming or watching a movie and apply them to the backlights, extending color beyond the four corners of your screen and amplifying your viewing experience.

Thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity, you can always ask Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri to adjust your backlights’ brightness, change the color, or directly select from 12 preset dynamic scene modes in the Govee app to set the mood. Along with the choice of 16 million colors, you can even personalize each segment of the strip, and if you’re watching a concert or hosting a karaoke night, you can sync up your lights to your music.

Pros:

• Immersive viewing experience
• Voice and app control
• 16 million colors, preset scenes, and music mode
• 1080p HD camera
• Customizable sections

Cons:

• Doesn’t suit curved TVs
• Clunky camera

Best for home entertainment

Govee Immersion Wi-Fi TV Backlight

• $80 at Amazon
• $100 at Walmart

Netflix like never before

Upgrade your home theater and gaming experience with these Govee Immersion TV Backlights that mimic the colors on your screen.

Best light strip: Govee RGBIC Wi-Fi+Bluetooth LED Strip Lights

Govee has an impressive selection of light strips that you can get to give your home decor a little makeover. This indoor light strip comes in 32.8 or 16.4 feet and is easy to install with a strong 3M adhesive. Like most Govee products, it works flawlessly with Alexa, Google Assistant, or through the Govee app and will add a multi-color touch to your space.

Each light strip is dimmable and can display 15 different colors at the same time, thanks to RGBIC technology, giving off a rainbow-like appearance. This also means that you can customize the color and brightness of individual segments of the strip. In addition, there are 16 million color options, four dynamic music modes, DIY mode, and 64 various preset scene modes you can choose from to create the right atmosphere.

Light strips are a creative way to illuminate your home, but if you’re looking to do the same outdoors, you should get the Govee Phantasy Outdoor LED Strip Lights. These include a water-resistant coating and can be useful for creating the right holiday lighting or simply hosting the best party.

Pros:

• Voice and app control
• Segmented color control
• Music mode and preset scenes
• Ultra-bright beads
• RGBIC technology

Cons:

• Not for outdoor use

Best light strip

Govee RGBIC Wi-Fi+Bluetooth LED Strip Lights

• $33 at Amazon (16.4 ft)

Mood lighting

Create ambient lighting in each room of your home with the help of Govee light strips and powerful RGBIC technology that produces a multi-color effect.

Best for decor: Govee Glide Wall Light

If you’re seeking lighting that’s a bit out of the ordinary but will look original in your home, consider the Govee Glide Wall Light. With seven different light pieces, you’re able to put them together in a shape that suits your style and that naturally complements your gaming setup or any room fixture like a couch or a TV.

The Govee Glide Wall Light can emit 16 million different colors and display up to 57 colors at one time, bringing multi-color effects to your space. It also comes with more than 40 dynamic scene modes to select from and six music modes. Because it’s Wi-Fi enabled, you can also use voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant along with the app to adjust the lighting. Though it may not be the most essential lighting for your home, it certainly is one of the most unique.

Pros:

• Customizable shape
• 16 million different colors
• Easy to put together
• Voice and app control
• 40 scene modes and six music modes

Cons:

• Pricey

Best for decor

Govee Glide Wall Light

• $100 at Amazon

Decorate your space

The Govee Glide Wall Light is a unique way to bring lighting and design to your space along with multi-color effects.

Best for the backyard: Govee Outdoor String Lights

Nothing makes hosting a garden party or dinner outdoors on your patio feel more intimate and cozy than outdoor string lights. You can purchase these Govee string lights in 48 or 96 feet and customize each bulb’s color, brightness, and effects through voice controls or the Govee app, thanks to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. There are 40 preset scene modes you can choose from depending on the vibe you want to create, and there’s always a DIY mode to customize your lights to your liking.

Similar to Govee smart light bulbs, these outdoor string lights are dimmable, support automated on/off schedules, and can be synced to your music. On top of that, they have an IP65 rating and are fully waterproof and shatterproof, so you don’t have to worry about leaving them outdoors, rain or shine. If you do at some point decide you need more string lights, you can link two sets together to create a maximum length of 96 feet with only one power plug.

Pros:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled
• Dynamic music mode, 40 scene modes, and DIY mode
• IP65 waterproof and shatterproof
• Voice and app control
• 16 million colors and dimmable

Cons:

• Power adapter isn’t waterproof
• Expensive

Best for the backyard

Govee Outdoor String Lights

• $70 at Amazon (48 ft)

Good vibes only

Set the mood at your outdoor soiree with these colorful Govee outdoor string lights that can be synced up to your music.

Color your home with the brightest Govee light bulbs and light strips

If you’re looking to bring colorful lighting into your home or transform your entertainment area, Govee has an impressive collection of fairly affordable light bulbs and light strips that are worth getting. Because most of its products connect to Wi-Fi directly, you don’t need a hub to get started with Govee, and you’ll be able to use Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri as well as the app to control your lights as well as adjust their colors.

If a light bulb is what you need, then the Govee Smart Light Bulb is the best place to start, with a preference for the Wi-Fi bulb so you can turn your lights on and off even when you’re away from home. If, however, you’re looking for a way to spice up your gaming or home entertainment set up, then the Govee Immersion Wi-Fi TV Backlight is an excellent choice. But if you have a TV that’s smaller than 45 inches, you can consider the Govee Flow Pro light bars. Both of these products are affordable ways to create an immersive, original lighting experience.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Olivia Lipski is a freelance writer for Android Central and loves testing out the latest smart home tech and discovering the best cell phone plans. When she’s not busy running around NYC trying to find great food or coffee, she’s in her kitchen trying to make it herself.