Philips Hue vs Govee: choose the right smart lights for you

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Philips Hue and Govee lightbulbs connected purple and teal background
(Image credit: Philips Hue / Govee)

If you're reasoning of investing successful a smart lighting setup, Philips Hue and Govee are some brands that should beryllium connected your shortlist, but really tin you take betwixt nan two? You whitethorn beryllium alert that Hue lights are much expensive, but that's surely not nan only facet to consider, and we'll tally done each nan cardinal differences truthful you tin make nan correct prime for your home.

Philips Hue smart lights are made by a institution called Signify - which was formerly known arsenic Philips Lighting. To debar confusion, we'll conscionable beryllium utilizing nan sanction Philips Hue passim this guide.

Smart lights often get important discounts during events for illustration Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, making it overmuch much affordable to kit retired our home. We'll beryllium updating our guideline to nan champion Black Friday deals pinch nan biggest savings, truthful support it bookmarked to make judge you don't miss out.

Govee Curtain Lights during testing

Govee produces indoor and outdoor smart lights pinch a attraction connected nosy (Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Philips Hue vs Govee: price

Philips Hue products are immoderate of nan champion smart lights around, but besides nan astir costly - though nan value of bulbs successful peculiar which type you choose. If you want benefits for illustration automations, app control, and soft dimming but you don't want bulbs that alteration colors, you tin prime up a four-pack of A19 smart bulbs for a very reasonable $49.99. However, if you for illustration nan thought of utilizing civilization scenes to group nan mood, you'll salary $49.99 for conscionable 1 Light & Color Ambiance bulb.

Philips Hue lamps and LED strips besides thin to beryllium expensive. For example, nan precocious released Philips Hue Twilight is 1 of nan champion wake-up lamps we've tested, but besides nan astir costly astatine $279.

If you're connected a budget, Govee offers immoderate overmuch much affordable options. For example, a four-pack of Govee A19 RGB bulbs is conscionable $51.98 (discounted to $39.99 astatine nan clip of writing). That's a fraction of nan value of nan balanced bulbs from Philips Hue. However, there's much to see than conscionable price...

Philips Hue Twilight smart lamp successful fuchsia pink

The Philips Hue Twilight is 1 of nan champion wake-up lights we've tested, and besides nan astir costly (Image credit: Future)

Philips Hue vs Govee: merchandise range

The Philips Hue ecosystem is enormous, including smart bulbs for conscionable astir each ray fitting you tin deliberation of, LED strips, drawstring lights, lamps, wall fixtures, level lamps, outdoor lights, and more. It's not constricted to lights, either. The strategy besides includes immoderate of nan best smart switches and best smart plugs around, positive interaction sensors for controlling your devices, and moreover smart location information cameras. You should person nary problem astatine each equipping your full location pinch Hue devices if you person nan fund for it.

Govee's action of smart lights is smaller, and has a attraction connected fun. The marque offers smart bulbs for nan astir communal ray fittings (including spots) but nan existent stars of nan show are products for illustration nan Govee Curtain Lights, Govee Glide Hexagon Light Panels Ultra, and nan ace agleam Govee LED Strip Light M1.

Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels connected wall

Govee produces immoderate peculiarly nosy smart lights, specified arsenic nan Govee Glide Hexagon Light Panels Ultra (Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

If you're looking for a smart lighting strategy to make TV and gaming much immersive, some brands connection Ambilight alternatives that are worthy considering. The Philips Hue Play Sync Box connects to your TV via HDMI, and allows your smart lights (bought separately) to widen nan colors astatine nan separator of nan screen.

The Govee Immersion WiFi TV Backlights nutrient a akin result, but usage a camera to seizure what's happening connected nan surface alternatively than HDMI. The Govee strategy is cheaper, but nan usage of a camera for input intends colour reproduction isn't ever arsenic meticulous (it tin beryllium affected by reflections, for example) and location whitethorn beryllium immoderate latency you wouldn't get pinch nan Philips Hue system.

Govee besides produces smart plugs, mobility sensors, h2o sensors, and integer thermometers - positive a wide array of smart devices for your kitchen, including aerial purifiers, fans, crystal makers, and moreover a atom cooker. The Govee Smart Kettle is peculiarly good, and earned 4 stars retired of 5 from our reviewer.

Philips Hue Play Sync strategy successful use, pinch lights sparkling connected a wall matching a video crippled image connected a TV screen

The Philips Hue Play Sync Box lets you usage smart lights to widen colors from nan separator of your TV surface for much immersion. Govee has a akin system, but it uses a camera alternatively than an HDMI relationship (Image credit: Philips Hue / Signify)

Philips Hue vs Govee: features

Each Govee smart ray connects straight to your location Wi-Fi network, and your lights are controlled via nan Govee Home app (available for Android and iOS). Here you tin move your bulbs connected and off, dim them, alteration their color, use themed 'scenes' to group a peculiar mood, sync them to music, and create routines truthful they travel connected and move disconnected astatine circumstantial times. You tin besides nexus them to different Govee smart devices, specified arsenic h2o sensors, truthful they tin alert you if there's a leak successful your home.

The Govee app is compatible pinch Alexa and Google Home, truthful you tin besides usage a smart speaker to run your lights if you for illustration (see our roundup of nan best smart speakers for immoderate bully options).

Philips Hue Bridge mounted connected wall

The Philips Hue Bridge isn't basal for a Hue lighting setup, but it unlocks a batch of other features. (Image credit: Future)

Many Philips Hue lights tin beryllium utilized connected their ain and controlled from your telephone via Bluetooth, aliases linked to a Google Home aliases Alexa instrumentality truthful you tin power them pinch sound commands. Exactly which options are disposable will alteration depending connected which lights you have.

This useful fine, but to get nan astir retired of your bulbs, strips and lamps, you'll want to prime up a Philips Hue Bridge. This plugs into your router and connects to each your Hue bulbs and devices, fundamentally creating a Zigbee mesh network.

Once nan lights are connected to nan Bridge, you tin power them remotely, group up automations and schedules, prime and create scenes, sync them to music, link them to Hue switches, sensors and cameras, and nexus them to third-party platforms and services specified arsenic Razer Chroma, IFTTT, Yale, Spotify, Google Home, Alexa, and Siri. You tin find a complete database connected nan Philips Hue website.

Person's manus holding telephone utilizing Philips Hue app

With a Philips Hue Bridge, you tin power up to 50 smart lights from your telephone (Image credit: Philips)

You're not constricted to utilizing Philips Hue branded products either. iConnectHue maintains an extended database of Hue-compatible lights and accessories that tin merge into your system.

Using a Hue Bridge besides lets you power galore much lights than utilizing Bluetooth (up to 50 pinch nan Bridge, compared to 10 pinch Bluetooth). If you person much than 50 lights, you tin usage a 2nd Hue Bridge. For much details, spot our guideline Philips Hue Bridge: what is it and really important is it for your Hue smart lights?

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Cat is TechRadar's Homes Editor specializing successful room appliances and smart location technology. She's been a tech journalist for 15 years, and is present to thief you take nan correct devices for your location and do much pinch them. When not moving she's a keen location baker, and makes a beautiful mean macaron.

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