They will stick to practically any surface after the recommended 30-second press, but some panels started to pop loose after a couple of days. And occasionally, itd lose the connection and have to re-pair before making further adjustments. These new light panels are variations on the existing Govee Glide range, which features triangle shapes and flat hexagons. Luckily, it's not a permanent commitment since the Hexa Pro panels use adhesive pads rather than screws and mounts, so removing them once or twice would be simple enough if it looked askew or off-center. Still, if there's nothing more than solid primary colors, you could save a lot of cash by buying something simpler.
Join 350,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, articles, and more. A YouTube video linked directly in the app covers all the bases and prevented me from putting the connecting cables in the wrong way. The Glide Hexa Pro is no exception and defeats practically everything in our best LED light strips collection simply by standing out as more of an art piece than something hidden under desks and the edges of shelving. If youre looking for some of the best smart LED lights, put these on your wall. It's not unrealistic to suggest using any other pack of adhesive strips from a hardware store as replacements, but it would be nice to have access to more of the properly-shaped pads that come with the Hexa Pro. Can the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels make inroads against a well-entrenched player in the smart lighting space? That said, I had a much easier time installing the Govee panels than my Nanoleaf Canvas tiles. Still, its a nifty feature that youll surely enjoy. Neon wall lights might seem a little niche for some people, but they have a broader appeal when they come with a degree of customization. (We reviewed Govees 10-panel kit, which retails for $199.99.) Once all the testing is completed, its time to dream up a design. They undoubtedly influenced my newfound love of RGB once I found perfect kits that properly fit my room. 
Govee also has some nifty ideas of its own, such as its clever LED Neon Rope Light. 
This allows for a larger adhesive to be used and for the adhesive tab to be hidden. Overall, Govees Glide Hexa panels offer a great value, plenty of brightness, and an exciting, relaxing, or vibrant room presence unlike anything else Ive tried. The app can then show how the design will look on a generic wall (right). And finally, the other significant omissions are Apple Homekit or PC support. 
Combined with a full in-app storefront, the experience becomes overwhelming for simple tasks. When you purchase through our links we may earn a commission. Govees app is robust and offers the features youd come to expect and then some. Cory Gunther has been writing about phones, Android, cars, and technology in general for over a decade. Like the Nanoleaf lights, Govees Glide modular panels can be arranged in different patterns and can shine in millions of different colors, and you can choose from more than a dozen elaborate animations or create your own. 
The process was painless, albeit lengthy, from unboxing to scrolling through the Govee effects lab on the companion app. However, if you want to make adjustments or change the color, the app is required. There shouldn't be any danger of anything falling off as long as you have the recommended type of smooth, non-textured walls, which I'll get into later. had similar reservations with Govees app, internet-connected microphones bundled with my lights in the past, The best outdoor security cameras for 2022, When is USB-C coming to the iPhone? The Rivian Problem No One Is Talking About. Considering there are no fixings to attach the panels to walls more permanently, these sticky pads will only last for a while, especially if they come loose often. We were fans of the Govee Glide, a cheaper clone (as our reviewer put it) of the LIFX Beam, as well as the Govee Lyra Floor Lamp, which bears a strong resemblance to Philips Hues far pricier Signe floor lamp. Besides the panels and mounting plates, you also get 10 linking cables that connect the individual panels together. All of you have to do then is push down firmly for 30 seconds while they cling to the wall. Unfortunately, the app is almost too bloated. But while Govees panels look pretty snazzy once theyre installed on your wall, theyre harder to install than the Nanoleaf panels, and theyre more restrictive in terms of the possible arrangements. There was a problem. Want to decorate your walls with glowing, pulsating light panels? Govee Glide Hexa Pro: Price and availability, (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central), Govee Glide Hexa Pro: What you won't like. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I thought the Glide Hexa panels looked pretty attractive once installed. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The biggest functional gap in my book is the lack of HomeKit support. You earn points for commenting on discussion threads and posting on their knock-off version of Instagram baked into the app. While the app covers all the bases, it still tries way too hard to get users invested with its baked-in social network. Thankfully the whole lot didn't come down in one daisy-chain disaster, and I have since managed to push them back into place, but it feels like the days are numbered for my RGB art until I can redecorate this room with some smooth walls. My office by day becomes a gaming room by night, lit up with whatever colors suit my mood at the time since all Govee lights work together using a single mobile app. Since the individual panels dont actually snap onto each other, you use the orientation toolbasically an angled plastic guideto help ensure that the next panel you install is properly aligned with the previous panel. Two replacement adhesive pads come in the box but Govee doesn't sell packs of replacements as usual. The Hexa Pro panels appear to float in place no matter how you hang them, and each light panel is lightweight. The Govee app has a tool that lets you pick a design (left) or create your own (center). You have rough walls or textured wallpaper. We steer you to products you'll love and show you how to get the most out of them. While the Govee panels are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, they dont work with Apples HomeKit platform, a key feature of Nanoleafs light panels, which also boasts controllers that double as Thread border routers. This is a hotly-contested category, largely dominated by Nanoleaf. An in-line microphone allows for real-time syncing with music that looks great. Ben Wilson is a freelance writer working for Windows Central with technical expertise and a background in electronics retail. Sticky pads won't last if the panels are moved. Govee consistently impresses me with affordable RGB kits featuring high-quality construction and spectacular colors. The thin, flexible strip that connects Govees light panels together will bend over itself as you move the panels into position. Besides animations, you can also set the Glide panels to glow in solid colors, with different colors for each panel, or you can use a tool that suggests color themes based on various styles (like Elegant, Gorgeous, or Science Fiction), scenes (such as Work, Leisure, Joy, or In Love), and color matching methods (complementary colors, contrasting, gradient, and so on).
Digital Trends Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites. Whether or not they're well-suited to the "pro" moniker is debatable since they're distinct enough from the regular Hexa lights and could have been marketed with a unique name in the Govee Glide range instead. NY 10036. The box's contents seem overwhelming at first since you get nine linking cables and all of those panels, but the most challenging part is deciding what kind of pattern you want to make. Plus, wouldnt it be cool if you could make the border one color and the inner section a different color. The adhesive is likely to be the first thing to deteriorate, but replacements are easy, especially considering the smart mounting system these tiles use. As for software, the Govee Home app (for Android and iOS) has a comprehensive layout tool that helps you every step of the way, gives you layout ideas, then shows which numbered port (between 2 and 5) each ribbon goes in as you place them on the wall. The relatively low voltage and minimal physical interaction bode well for these lights physically lasting the long haul. It just seems like youre giving up a lot of functionality for only modest savings. You want highly customizable and vibrant multicolor lights. As you build your design, the app will show you where you canor cantplace more panels; while Nanoleaf lets you connect more panels on any available panel edge, the Govee app only lets you add the next panel to the one you last placed, one after the other. You can change each Hexa panel color individually, add beautiful color gradients, sync them up to music, or select from a wide array of pre-sets in the app to set the ambiance or get any party started. Thanks to flexible connectors and an ingenious mounting system, the Govee Glide Hexas are more customizable than most. Widgets are available on both iOS and Android, though its tricky getting them to do much more than a toggle off and on. A range of automation options is available that let different Govee lights communicate with one another. Each Hexa panel is about 7-inches wide, and the corners are 3.5-inches long, meaning you can quickly cover a good four feet of the wall with vibrant colors. In between those episodes, theyll have to decide if its worth having something listening to them around the house, assuming they dont have a smart speaker already. This Hexa Pro kit piqued my interest since it looks a little more stylish than just a rope of LEDs strung around shelving, something that might appeal to an audience outside of neon-loving gamers and at-home ravers. Having my whole living rooms Hue bulbs light up with whatever game or movie is on has been life-changing. Instead of one color on each panel, these can have multiple colors that change on the fly. The API for controlling lights outside the official app is minimal with no way to remotely activate custom-made scenes. Lets find out! This doesn't affect our editorial independence. There are a few negative things to say about the Hexa Pro lights, and my main gripe isn't the product's fault. Once thats done, a setup wizard will ask that you test each panel by connecting them directly to the Glide Hexa controller one by one. Govees connectors werent only flexible, but also had enough slack to get creative if needed.
Edifier Stax Spirit S3 Headphones Review: Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 Review, Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Triangles Review, Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven Review: Restaurant-Quality in a Portable Package, Harber London Leather Desk Mat Review: More Than Just Stylish, 1MORE Evo True Wireless Review: Great Sound for the Money, Razer Kaira Pro for PlayStation Review: Robust Audio, Subpar Mic, It's Simple To Add Car Wireless Charging To, Tesla Model 3 and Y Aren't Affordable Anymore, Ford and Purdue Solved the Biggest EV Problem. Cory Gunther has been writing about phones, Android, cars, and technology in general for over a decade. Those points can be spent on rewards. The Glide Hexa Light Panels are also smart, capable of being scheduled or controlled with Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. Animation styles are varied and customizable. Paper Girls review: time-traveling, girl-power Goonies is good enough, The best movies on Disney+ right now (July 2022).
Theres a new version on the way that makes the tiles look like cubes. The Glide panels can be grouped with other Govee lights, and they can be scheduled on a daily or weekly basis. I ended up needing to use an adhesive that was way too strong with my Nanoleaf Canvas tiles, and I anticipate ripping off pretty big chunks of paint whenever theyll need to come down. Apple HomeKit support is a major omission. Everything beyond that is overkill. He's previously written for GottaBeMobile, SlashGear, AndroidCentral, and InputMag, and he's written over 9,000 articles. Beautifully bright and colorful with diffused RGB light. Can You Jump-Start a Dead EV Car Battery? Is Charging an EV Cheaper Than Getting Gas? Theres also a three-button controller, a chunky AC adapter, a tiny level, and an orientation tool that helps you align the panels properly. Apple Music vs. Spotify: Which music streaming service is the best? That way, you can change the effects in addition to the colors and styles. Thankfully, you can customize the brightness inside the app. Now, it makes sense that the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels are missing some of Nanoleafs features given that theyre cheaper than the Nanoleaf panels, but theyre not that much cheaper: A 7-piece kit of the Glide Hexa Light Panels has a list price of $169.99, just $30 less than a 7-pack of Nanoleaf Shapes panels. The company even added a YouTube instructional video to the setup wizard, saving you some headaches. The app lets you use your phones microphone too, but its not quite as effective. The good news is that the Govee panels look striking once theyre installed, they answer to Alexa and Google Assistant, and they offer plenty of customization when it comes to animations. As handy as that is, the selection process goes overboard in the Effects Lab. Thankfully, Govee has a photosensitivity and seizure warning pop-up to warn you before selecting some of those wild options. The flexible linking cables will (unnervingly, until you get used to it) bend and fold over themselves as you move the panels into position. If you dont want to shell out the dough for Nanoleafs popular, touch-enabled light panels, Govee has a (marginally) more affordable alternative: the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels, an obvious gloss on Nanoleafs Shapes line.
Apples iOS users deserve to have unified home lighting control across multiple brands just like Google Home and Alexa users enjoy with the Glide Hexa Light Panels. The Govee smart light ecosystem has been growing steadily over the years, and theyve recently added wall panels to their lineup. There are several options available when it comes to ambient or accent lighting.
The main draw of the Hexa Pro is the 3D cube effect, and it's certainly something to behold in person since it's somewhat tricky to capture in photos. No official replacement adhesive is available. You dont always want to go digging around the app. The fire or breathing options inside the app will probably be your favorite, where the lights flicker or breathe with a lively effect. I like that you can change the direction of the lights and animations. While Govee didnt supply a lumen rating for the lights, they can get fairly bright when turned all the way up, especially if you set the color to white. On the back of every panel, youll find the primary input port for power, plus five additional numbered ports which send the power out to the next Hexa through a ribbon cable. Digital Trends own Patrick Hearn had similar reservations with Govees app. However, that could be a power and design limitation more than anything. The app can suggest some ideas if you're struggling, but I already had my perfect design ready. The Govee app boasts a tool that lets you devise your own design, or you can select a pre-made arrangement if youre not feeling creative (thats what I did). A color wheel helps pick hues that are complementary in a handful of different ways.
Since I already bought into the Govee ecosystem, it makes more sense for me to add more sets from the same brand, thanks to the companion app controlling everything so effortlessly. The brightness floor is still a little high for my liking, and transitions tend to get a little more jagged when on the lowest brightness setting. The panels can glow in up to 6 colors simultaneously, allowing the light to smoothly transition from one color another. You save a few bucks with Govee, too. In contrast, Nanoleaf Shapes panels can be tapped and swiped to change light scenes, adjust the brightness, or even control compatible smart home devices. Youll need the Govee Home app to do everything, from the initial setup to controlling all the colors, light shows, or pairing your panels to a music source to match the beat. Still, the result is exceptional as you watch colors tumble down in animated effects reminiscent of retro arcade games like Q*bert or Marble Madness. You're looking for something more artistic than bare LED strips. That process was plagued by tight corners, uneven placement, and weak adhesive strips included in the box. It looks like it could be a really fun effect. How much you spend depends on whether you opt for the seven-pack or ten-pack. Once you're inside the app, the amount of choice for color themes and animated patterns is pretty impressive, to the point that I sat and stared at every option for a good while like a little kid.
It's a shame because the Hexa Pro panels have massive potential with live streamers, who can offer viewers the chance to control the lights with community incentives. You can, however, configure Siri shortcuts to work with the Govee lights. Why trust us? The Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels were a breath of fresh air by comparison. It makes it reasonably easy to adjust colors on the fly. The Govee Glide Hexa Pro LED light panels are available on Amazon and the official Govee website with a $250 MSRP. The user base would undoubtedly increase, and I hope it happens even for my own sake. As we said earlier, each translucent panel has feet on the back, so theyre raised about an inch away from the wall. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Many of their lights have a microphone attachment for reacting to sounds or music, so it's a big party when multiple kits synchronize. Theres also a music mode that syncs the brightness and color of the panels with any music picked up by the controllers built-in microphone. The Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels come with a one-year limited warranty. Id accidentally hit back and have to start over, wait for the Glide Hexa to pair again, then try to remember whatever menu I was in trying to customize the lights. The panels themselves are hexagonalagain, similar to Nanoleafs Hexagons in its Shapes series, although the Govee panels have a thicker border around the lit portion, and they also glow from behind, throwing light back onto the wall. Here color sets are organized based on preloaded static images. All in all, the installation process for the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels was great. We were less impressed by the Govee Immersion Light Kit, Govees take (albeit using very different technology) on the Phillips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. This review is part ofTechHives coverage of the best smart light bulbs, where youll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyers guide to the features you should consider when shopping this category. The Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels work with both Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to turn the lights on and off as well as adjust their color and brightness via voice command. The amount of choice for color themes and animated patterns (in the app) is pretty impressive. The Govee tiles use a separate mounting bracket. Otherwise, at night they can be pretty blinding. Those sticky pads, which come pre-installed, are extremely strong and can easily take the paint off your wall. The Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels are beautiful, easy to install, and offer a wealth of customizable animations. How often do you wish your kitchen inspired the mood of Shrimp Meat? Its a cumbersome solution that I wouldnt bother to try. Once you get started, youll quickly find that the options and designs are almost endless. Budget smart home manufacturer Govee specializes in low-cost versionssome might say knock-offsof popular smart lighting products, with mixed results. Nanoleafs Hexagon and Triangle line popularized smart light tiles, but its easy to spend a small fortune outfitting your office, game room, streamer setup, or DJ booth. Meanwhile, Govees connectors were not only flexible but also had enough slack to get creative if needed. Theyre relatively easy to install, beautiful, insanely customizable with hues, animations, and color gradients, and more affordable than much of the competition. The treat with the Glide Hexa Light Panels is with their mounting system. Instructions and the Govee app make setup simple. He's a staff writer for Review Geek covering roundups, EVs, and news. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks. Finally, you cant share your customized light animations with other members of the Govee community, a key benefit of the Nanoleaf panels. When the time comes, I can just take the tile off the bracket, then pull the adhesive off.
You will receive a verification email shortly. TechHive helps you find your tech sweet spot. Inside the app, there are buttons for left, right, up, down, inwards, or outwards. Unfortunately, you can only use one cable for each hexagon, which slightly limits creativity and layout. The apps home screen is polluted with a rotation of banners promoting community events. That way, its easier to install and line them up, connect the ribbon cables, or make adjustments if you mess up as I did. That said, the connector cables are over 6-inches long and flexible, which gives you a little slack to still think outside the box and come up with a fun design. The Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels have vivid colors and superb lighting, making them vibrant enough for any space. These cables are more like long, thin, and flexible metal strips, with delicate connectors on either end that slide into slots on the panel hubs. Both sets are so similar that deciding between them will have to be a personal preference if the 3D effect is enough to convince you. 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The hardwired light control will at least let you turn the tiles off and on should software support disappear someday. New York, You can control the Hexa Pro with the microphone-housing switch, but you won't get nearly as much control over the set so keep it tucked away somewhere instead. Since the hexagon panels completely obscure the mounting section in the back, it's not as much of an issue to only use sticky pads. First off, they include a physical level and alignment bracket to make sure your placement works. Windows Central is supported by its audience. Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Id also like to see slightly smaller hardware borders around each panel, giving the lights a better overall look. But Nanoleaf does let you connect more than one power adapter to its panels, so it seems like something Govee could address. But the Nanoleaf light panels offer much more bang for the buck. Thanks to an in-line microphone on the power cable, you can pair the panels to a phone or computer or just let it listen to music and match the beat. On the software side, theres a full-blown layout wizard to help you figure out the order you want to set up these tiles. Admittedly, my wallpapered room is not the ideal surface for the panels and is even listed as an unsuitable surface by Govee, one of the only downsides I'll explain shortly. Fueling a technology and video game obsession with coffee, you can usually find him behind one screen or another. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. The few tiles that ended up using the included adhesive have little pull tabs sticking out which are a continual eyesore. If youre heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, the Glide Hexa Light Panels (and really anything by Govee) may be a non-starter without HomeKit support. The Hexa Glide Pro looks fantastic when displayed openly to show off the beautiful diffused RGB lights, standing out as more of an art piece than most LED accessories. Inside the small box, youll get 10 tiles, all the connector ribbon cables, a power adaptor, a control box, extra sticky pads, an alignment tool, and even a level to ensure everything goes smoothly. When you open the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels box, youll find a neatly wrapped series of the 0.6 inch-thick Govee panels, each of which measures about 6.25 inches across (for comparisons sake, Nanoleafs Shapes panels are 8 inches across).