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Oct 29, 2024

Govee COB Strip Light Pro Review: An Elegant Light For Moods and Vibes

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When I look at the Govee COB Strip Light Pro, I can’t help but hear the soft sounds of Kenny G’s saxophone playing. There’s something so smooth about this new smart home lightstrip, which doesn’t need to be hidden behind a counter or in another way. It can be mounted out in the open because the technology hidden inside makes it look good.

The Govee COB Strip Light Pro is crafted with integrated packaging technology and 1260 LEDs/m, translating innovative tech into brighter, smoother, fluid lighting effects, that can be used as supplementary lighting.

The Govee COB Strip Light Pro is available in two lengths: 9.8 and 16.4 feet. The shorter version costs $99.99, and the longer size costs $149.99.

Anyone who’s at least dabbled with lighting strips and tried to add accent lighting to their home knows the key is all about location. You generally need to hide the lightstrip under a count lip, behind a piece of furniture, or just out of sight so the individual LEDs don’t blind you and ruin the cohesive effect.

That’s what makes this Govee COB Strip Light Pro different. It features more LEDs packed closer together—1,260 per meter, to be precise—for a brighter and more blended appearance. The strip has a silicone sleeve over the lights, which completes the aesthetic of high-end, luxurious lighting. It’s similar to the protective sleeves that outdoor lighting strips tend to use.

I’ve gone through my share of lightstrips, both cheap and expensive, and the COB Strip Light Pro was the first one I was impressed with right out of the box before even turning it on. Its clean look makes it a candidate to use out in the open without needing to find a clever mounting spot.

I took this to heart and used its back adhesive to stick the light along the floor in the corner of my bathroom, around the bathtub—a potentially noticeable spot. Initially, I had planned for it to add some minimal and occasional accent lighting in various colors. Once I set it up and connected it to the Apple Home app using its Matter connection, I pivoted my plans to use it much more than I thought I would.

The COB Strip Light Pro offers bright enough white light that it’s perfect for early mornings and late nights. I have it programmed to turn on automatically in the evenings and its diffused glow is bright enough to move freely, but not so stark that it disturbs the mood. The light makes my bathroom feel like one you might find at an upscale hotel.

There are cheaper options for this kind of premium lightstrip, but the reason for picking this Govee one over another is the software. The Govee app, available for iPhone and Android, isn’t without its faults, but its steady improvement over the years means that its current software is solid. There are just so many presets and customization options available. Paralysis might come before boredom in this context because there are a lot of color combinations.

I had no problem adding the COB Strip Light Pro to Apple’s Home app via Matter. Although there aren’t the same kind of lighting effects available in the Apple app, I find myself more reliant on automations that can be set up there than I do on making the lightstrip dance to music or pulse in various colors.

If you want to be more low-key, you don't need to use an app. There are buttons on an in-line controller that can be used for all the basic features. I haven't found myself using it much, but the few times I didn't have my phone and didn't want to use Siri, it was helpful.

Before trying the Govee COB Strip Light Pro, I was getting ambivalent about the current crop of lighting choices. They all seemed about the same. This one changed some of that with more fluid lighting effects and a bright and warm glow. After adding this one, I don’t want to have to hide lightstrips in the future.

The COB Strip Light Pro isn’t cheap, retailing at $100, but it's worth its cost for a select, visible area. It’s not needed for every place in your home, but it also won't clash with your decor. Plus, its Matter connection means that it can connect with Apple devices and should remain supported by various smart home platforms for a long time.

The Govee COB Strip Light Pro is crafted with integrated packaging technology and 1260 LEDs/m, translating innovative tech into brighter, smoother, fluid lighting effects, that can be used as supplementary lighting.

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