Govee Flow Pro RGB Smart Lights (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://us.govee.com/products/flow-pro-light-bar
Taking clear aim at the Philips Hue Smart Lights, Govee takes the literal spotlight by introducing their own form of "smart" gaming light bars: the Flow Pro. RGBs always come in at an exorbitant cost, but Govee hopes to take on more expensive titans in the arena with the more budget-friendly-yet-still-pricey Flow Pro Smart Lights. Rather than rely on a PC to control the lights as its competitors tend to, the Flow Pro sync up the colors to what's being displayed on your TV by using a sensor, theoretically making it the ideal setup for console gamers jonesing for some of that RGB goodness for their own setups.
I'm reluctant to continually compare the Govee Flow Pro to the Philips Hue Play, but they're essentially the exact same thing: two light bars that you put behind your TV/monitor, with a control unit that controls the lights, making them sync up to what's on screen. The biggest difference between the two is the cost; the Philips Hue Play costs about $150--and also requires the purchase of a smart hub--which can put your grand total at $200. You get quality and bright lights for what you pay for, certainly, but Govee's offering certainly looks more attractive with a price point of just $70.
It's less elegant, and the Flow Pro does feel a little on the cheap side, but brightness is where it counts, and the Govee lights glow at a respectable brightness of 400 lumens, compared to the Hue's 530. Looking at both up close and side by side, you can notice that the Flow Pro are a little more uneven with their lighting, but when you step back and actually look at them how you would on a day-to-day basis, the difference is negligible.
The setup is simple enough, though a little odd. Included in the box are seven bright orange foam stickers, which you attach to the front of your monitor. All you have to do is stick them to the four corners of your screen, and the middle spaces between them, with the instructions making it an easy-to-follow process. I was a little wary of putting something with adhesive onto my TV, but they didn't attach themselves more than the bare amount to stay put during the syncing process. Don't throw them away, either, because you'll need to keep those stickers around if you ever want to move or redo your setup. Weird, but it works. Once you've gotten all the orange squares situated, you need to attach something that looks sort of like a webcam to the top of your TV, where it'll pick up what's being displayed, and tell the lights what color they need to be. I get why the sensor is necessary, as this is meant to be a solution for those that don't want to use a PC to control the lights, but the device sure sticks out and looks distracting, as it's a little on the tall side.
When it comes to how they perform as fancy glowy lights, the Flow Pro look great and really cast a wide bar of light if you've got them facing towards a wall. The default options range from primary colors, each of which are bright, or a slow cycle of every color, alternating. You'll need access to your iOS or Android device to get the most out of the lights, because the Govee app is how you'll be syncing everything up if you want more than those aforementioned options. Luckily, the Govee companion app works well, and it has a lot of customization features for the Flow Pro within it. I'd rather it be optional, since the normal light modes, such as static colors, work without the use of the app, but at least it does its job nicely. Should you want to use it as part of your smart home setup, it also natively supports both Alexa and Google Home.
Where they do struggle a bit is in matching up to exactly what's being played. It can be a little hit or miss with detecting colors; in some situations, it picks up a single color and runs with it, and that works, but in other cases, where there's not a single color that stands especially stands out, the Flow Pro gets a little confused and just goes for a washed-out version of whatever color is on the edge. But holy cow, when it works, does it ever work well! When it came to games, that's where they worked best, but I wouldn't recommend them as much if you're looking for backlighting when watching movies or TV, which don't tend to be as saturated.
There are a few compromises that you have to accept about the Govee Flow Pro light bars, but honestly, when they're less than half the price of the next best thing, it's a given. They're not perfect, but they're still a super-bright, solid option if you've been wanting to get in on the RGB craze for your console games.
Verdict
- Ideal if you want RGB lights behind your TV but are a console gamer
- Companion app works well and has a lot of options
- Simple setup
- Half the cost of the Hue Play for effectively the same look
- Bright, accurate color (when it's saturated)
- The sensor can also get in the way
- However, the app is REQUIRED
- Doesn't do well with movies/TV
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