There’s no time like the present to get into smart lights. There are more light brands, some can be used outdoors, and integration is more seamless than it’s ever been (with Alexa and Google Assistant compatibilities becoming commonplace and Matter certification an increasingly popular perk). We humans are evolving—AKA, we’re finally banishing the cardinal sin that is overhead lights in the home.
Govee is a trusted name in the smart light game. From strip lights to bulbs to holiday lights, Govee’s collection covers everything you need to illuminate your home. The Govee Floor Lamp 2 is one of a couple of recent releases, bringing the brand’s smart floor lamp collection to five members.
Govee Floor Lamp 2
The Govee Floor Lamp 2 stands just under five feet tall and features over 80 light modes to match certain moods, emulate nature settings, or capture the festivity of your favorite holidays. Govee added a light to their smart lamp bases in this generation of floor lamps, which can be kept on independently of the light bar, acting as a nice night light for guests or late-night kitchen ventures.
- Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- Over 80 scenes
- Tons of color customization
- Music-reactive modes
- Light pole doesn’t spin
- Light segments are noticeable
Price, availability, and specs
Govee’s Floor Lamp 2 retails for $150. You can purchase it directly through Govee, where it’s already discounted to $120, or through Amazon.
Specifications
- Integrations
- Matter, Alexa, Google Assistant
What’s good about the Govee Floor Lamp 2?
Height has its advantages
The Floor Lamp 2 is the Govee Lyra’s bigger, better sibling. It’s brighter at 1,725 lumens (vs. 1,500 from the Lyra). It also incorporates Matter control and the Alexa and Google Assistant. (It lacks Apple HomeKit compatibility, so Apple smart homes may find better functionality in the Philips Hue Gradient Signe Floor Lamp.)
The Floor Lamp 2’s base redesign brings a gradient-style lighting that, in my opinion, isn’t as visually appealing as the Floor Lamp Pro’s, but is still an upgrade to the Lyra.
Philips Hue Gradient Signe Floor Lamp review: As cool as it is expensive
High-end smart mood lighting
The Floor Lamp 2 won’t work as a room’s single light source. By design, the long light strip isn’t bright or good enough at evenly distributing light to illuminate a large space. Plus, that light bar is quite jarring to look at directly, so it’s better when pointing at a wall or out of your direct line of sight. This way, the lamp instead diffuses a soft glow over a small radius, making it an excellent accentual light piece tucked into a corner. You could also flank your gaming desk with a pair of these or use it as a light source for a small reading nook.
It features over 80 light scenes, ranging from nature-inspired selections to mood-driven vibes. I like that you can change the speed of each scene’s animations, but the real customization comes in the Govee app’s DIY feature. Here, you can set unique color schemes and even different animations and timings, like ripples and gradients, for individual light bar segments and circular base light wedges.
You can even let Govee automatically choose a color scheme based on a picture uploaded to the app or choose preset schemes based on famous art, sports logos, plants, holidays, or food. It’s fun to play around with when you first get the lamp — I even used Govee’s scheme based on the Minnesota Timberwolves logo in a vain effort to boost their luck in the conference finals — but I settled into having a handful of preferred schemes.
There are also simple options for bright illumination if you want to invigorate your space with some white light.
I added the Floor Lamp 2 to my Google Home, where it replaced a lamp with a smart bulb installed. The Floor Lamp 2 performed just as well in this smart home integration, dutifully following routines and allowing Google Assistant to adjust its brightness. However, if you use Google Home and prefer your Govee lamp to have different color schemes at various times of the day, the smart home automations get muddled.
Google Home can only turn the lamp with the last scheme it was set or turn it on with a simple one-color display. Since I like a bright, warm white light in my “good morning” Google Home routine and my partner likes the vibey purplish-bluish-pinkish display called aura in the Govee app for the “I’m home” post-work Google Home routine, this means one of us is doomed to manually enter the Govee app and select our preferred lighting despite the Floor Lamp 2 being integrated into our Google Home.
What’s bad about the Govee Floor Lamp 2?
Feels a bit crowded in here
I mentioned that the Govee Floor Lamp 2’s height could offer an advantage, like next to a desk under a loft bed, but others may prefer the 8-inch-taller Floor Lamp Pro. The Floor Lamp 2’s light pole is also stationary, fixed to its base at one angle. The Pro’s light pole can spin in a full clockwise turn, so you can select different lighting angles.
A lot of smart light users enjoy it when their lighting syncs up with media sources, like TV or music. The Floor Lamp 2 offers nine preset music-synced light shows, plus a 10th custom option. Music reactivity is a common feature of multiple Govee lamps and light fixtures, like the Curtain Lights. On the Floor Lamp 2, This feature works well enough, if you don’t watch the lamp too closely. Stare at it for more than a few seconds, and you’ll notice that the lamp is consistently one or two seconds off-beat.
Govee Curtain Lights review: A smart light spectacle
Why settle for an RGB strip when you can have an RGB wall
I’m also not a huge fan of the Floor Lamp 2’s huge, blocky plug-in. I prefer the Pro since it uses a standard-sized plug-in with an adapter block further up the cord to avoid taking up space near your surge protector or outlet.
The individual lights in the light strip are just spaced out enough that if you look directly at the light, especially at lower-light settings or with darker colors like blues and purples, you can make out each light segment. This isn’t an issue with the Floor Lamp Pro, but you’ll rarely even notice if you have the lamp pointed at a wall. I also light the Floor Lamp 2’s height; it’s shorter than the Pro and looks better in some scenarios because of this.
Should you buy it?
The Floor Lamp 2 may be an improved version of Govee’s Lyra Corner Floor Lamp, but it’s not the most advanced in Govee’s collection. In comparing the Floor Lamp 2 to Govee’s other new lamp, the higher-end Floor Lamp Pro, there are quite a few features you’re missing out on. As a mid-range option, the Floor Lamp 2 lacks the Bluetooth speaker featured in the Floor Lamp Pro’s base. In fact, the extra speaker function, elevated look, and brighter light are why I prefer the Pro. The Floor Lamp Pro’s light also rotates to shed light in whichever direction you prefer, a feature not shared by the Floor Lamp 2.
I wish the Floor Lamp 2’s base had the same segmented look as the Lyra’s and the Pro’s since I feel the plastic single-piece base cheapens the look a bit. If the bases on all three models looked the same, you could also purchase one Pro and one Floor Lamp 2 if you only need one speaker in the room without the two lamps looking so mismatched.
However, if your house is already full of speakers and you’re looking for a smart lamp to cast light over a reading corner or gaming desk without illuminating the entire room, then the Floor Lamp 2 is a perfectly fine choice, especially since the lower price also makes it an easier option for buying in pairs. It also works with Google Home seamlessly and shares the same smart home compatibilities as the Pro Lamp.
So, all in all, the Floor Lamp 2 checks the most important boxes, even while leaving a few upgrades to its premium sibling.
Govee Floor Lamp 2
While not Govee’s most advanced floor lamp, the Floor Lamp 2 is compatible with two major smart home assistants, which will hopefully be expanded in the future. It offers new lighting at the base, and over 80 unique color displays to match any mood.
Best smart light brands in 2024
Smart lighting adds character and ambiance to any space, but no one does it like these brands
