There are a ton of random LED light brands on Amazon these days. It makes it pretty difficult to decide what to buy.
Popular brands on Amazon are not really household names anymore. You’re no longer choosing between solid companies like Sony, Phillips, and GE.
One of these LED brands has been slowly gaining more popularity than the others. That company is Govee.
Govee started in 2017 and filled a big gap in the market. Their product is more refined than the super cheap lights, and they are taking over a lot of the Amazon RGB LED market share as a result.
After owning multiple Govee products for years, I’ve tested their longevity, used their customer support, and explored their mobile app for a while. I can confidently say that they are a brand worth buying due to the impressive functionality that you get for the price.
Is Govee A Good LED Company?
Yes, Govee is a brand of LED lights that are worth buying. They have widespread LED applications, plenty of good tech, and app support for a fraction of the cost.
Govee is a solid mid-range brand that offers more than those bottom-of-the-barrel brands. They also have much more affordable LED products compared to household brand alternatives like Philips.
However, the reduction in price has to come from somewhere. The quality may not be on par with brands like Philips, but it is a fantastic alternative as they come with about 90% of the capabilities for less than 50% of the cost.
Though they are a younger company, they are much more established in the LED lighting space on Amazon as a name that you can trust. They have partnerships with Netflix, Razer, and Pantone, and have had reviews by big-time publishers such as Tom’s Guide, Digital Trends, The Verge, etc.
They also have plenty of next-level tech. Check out this Govee AI box review from ShortCircuit.
Not many random Amazon brands can say the same about their LED brands. As someone who owns multiple Govee products, I can say I’ve had just one minor issue in the last few years that was corrected through Govee’s customer support.
Govee Customer Service Experience
I judge a company very strongly based on the customer service I receive. If the customer experience is bad, I don’t want to spend my money there.
Mistakes and manufacturing defects are a part of life, it’s a matter of time before you have to deal with any company’s support line. Companies with poor customer support don’t back their products and give you a ton of reasons why they won’t fix a problem with their own products. It’s an infuriating experience.
Thankfully, Govee has good customer service. I’ve only had to contact them once with an issue and it was solved quickly, so treat this as a single data point.
LED Flickering Issues
One common issue users experience with Govee lights is flickering. A quick trip to the Amazon review section and some Reddit discussions will show you this.
My own set of relatively new LED light bars that I place behind my monitors started flickering one day too. Also, one side of my LED light bar was a different color than the rest.
Here’s an image of my Govee light bar issue:
Luckily, this happened within a year of purchase, around the four-month mark.
I contacted Govee Support and got a response about 8 hours later. They first gave me some troubleshooting steps to try out that didn’t work.
I provided them with photos and videos of the persisting issue along with my Amazon order number. Their next reply was asking for my address to send a replacement free of charge.
That’s proper customer service! Help troubleshoot and if that doesn’t work, send a replacement. My lights are still shining bright today!
Govee – The Popular & Affordable LED Alternative
An excellent example of Govee filling in the mid-range LED gap is with their LED light bars.
Before Govee, there were only really cheap bare bones LED lights, or the Philips Hue line of LED lights. And the Philips Hue lights are not cheap, at all.
Philips has an RGB lightbar called the “Play Bars”. These can be placed behind your TV or computer to add accent lights. They also come with smart features.
The Play Bars (set of 2) cost $160 at the time of writing.
The Philips Hue Play is a versatile and customizable smart light that can be controlled with your voice through Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Assistant. With limitless possibilities for enhancing your home, the Hue Play can be mounted behind your TV for the ultimate lighting experience or placed anywhere in your living room for a pleasant ambiance. The pack includes clips and double-sided tape for easy installation.
Oh, and they don’t come with everything you need to get started. You also need the Philips Hue Hub to get the full functionality. That will be another $60.
The Philips Hue Bridge is the key to unlocking the full potential of your Hue smart lighting system. With advanced Zigbee technology, the Bridge provides a secure and stable connection without putting a strain on your Wi-Fi. You can control your lights from anywhere with out-of-home control, and add up to 50 lights and accessories to your system for indoor and outdoor control.
To get your Philips smart RGB accent lights going, you need to spend over $200 with Philips. This is where a company like Govee saves the day.
Govee offers what is called the Flow Plus Light Bar. It was clearly made to go after the Philips Hue Play Bars. They have a very similar form factor and use it in the same settings as the Play Bars.
Govee gave it the same intelligent features as well as a feature-packed app. Guess how much these Govee light bars cost instead?
You won’t need to pay $220 for these. They are listed at around $50 at the time of writing. You can get 4x Govee lights for the price of one Phillips light bar.
This really makes you wonder why the Philips Hue costs so much more. More overhead? Higher quality lights? It’s a huge cost difference.
I use the Govee light bars myself because of how much more affordable they are. I have a dedicated Govee Light Bar Review here. We also paired this with a setup guide and a light placement guide.
Conclusion
Out of all the noise from other low-level Amazon brands, Govee is the one that stands out. If you want some decent LEDs without paying the high-end Philips Hue prices, Govee is absolutely the way.