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- Smart multicolor solar lighting with app control
- Up to 50 lumens of white light output
- Fast charging and up to 13 hours of illumination
If, like me, you love solar garden lighting but hate the poor quality options on the shelves of so many shops, Govee would like to offer an alternative: the new Outdoor Solar String Lights, Govee's first venture into solar lighting.
These aren't the 10- or 20-buck strings you'll find in a supermarket or similar store that might last one season if you're lucky; they're a more premium product with app control. better batteries, better environmental protection and a two-year warranty. And they look pretty awesome too.
There's another big advantage to these lights: because they're solar you don't have to be tethered to a power supply. And that means your party lights are can go camping or anywhere else you want to add some atmosphere after dark.
Govee Outdoor Solar String Lights: is it worth paying a premium for your solar strings?
The problem with cheap solar lights is that they're not built to last, and as a result I end up buying new string lights every spring because last year's lot have succumbed to the weather. Govee's version comes with IP67 rating for weather and environmental resistance, so they're made for longer life. They also feature larger batteries and faster charging than standard solar, with a 6W corrosion-resistant panel that charges 50% faster than standard 4W panels.
You can expect up to 13 hours of illumination after the sun goes down and the battery is rated to deliver 93% capacity after 300 charge cycles, so it should last a long time.
The lights are LED, of course, and they're RGBICW. That means you get to use RGB, cool white and warm white too, so you can get your space just-so. However, it's worth noting that to create the nice lighting shown in some of the marketing images you'll need several strings: there are eight bulbs per string, with a 34-foot cable length. If you need longer you might be better off with Govee's plug-in strings, which aren't solar; they run at 48 or 96 feet with 15 bulbs.
The app gives you the same kind of control you'd expect from Govee's smart lights, with millions of possible color combinations including pastels as well as party colors. There's up to 50 lumens of output with white light, and it's all controlled through the Govee Home app so you can create lighting groups, set timers and choose from over 100 presets.
At $99 the Govee Outdoor Solar String lights cost a fair bit more than most solar lighting, especially if you need more than one string. But they're clearly a much classier proposition with much more customization and flexibility, as well as what should be decent stamina too.
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