I’ve evaluated a number of smart lighting products from Govee over the past few years, most of them variations on LED light strips. However, the company continues to expand its offerings. In January, I had a look at the Govee Aura table lamp. And its most recent release continues Govee’s foray into more traditional home decor: the Lyra RGBIC smart floor lamp.
Some Assembly Required
As a floor lamp, the Lyra is a relatively tall device, measuring nearly five feet in height (57-inches to be precise). In order to fit into a reasonably sized box for shipping, it arrives in a number of pieces. This includes a sturdy base, three aluminum pole sections, a flexible silicone light strip, and a power adapter.
Assembly is reasonably straightforward if you follow the instructions, although there are more than a dozen small screws to contend with. The pole itself ends up being quite sturdy with tight joints. The silicone RGBICWW light strip is actually slightly longer than the slot to accommodate it in the pole. If you start at one end and work your way down, you’ll quickly discover this. However, if you tuck in both ends first then move toward the middle, the slack in the flexible strip can be pushed in—it all works out.
In my living room with a floor that is level, the lamp was sturdy. My office has 50+-year-old, 2-inch hardwood strip flooring that has some high and low points. Here, the 5.3-inch diameter base is narrow enough it can rock or tilt on a slight angle because of variations in the floor, so placement is a factor.
In a nice touch, there’s a snap-on, magnetic holder for the included remote control. If used, this keeps the remote safely attached to the Lyra’s pole so you don’t lose it.
Overall, it’s a very minimalist and modern-looking light—basically, a tall aluminum pole stuck in a base.
Connectivity
As always, Govee provides a wide range of connectivity options with the Lyra. If you choose, you can simply plug it in and control basic functions with the remote control.
If you opt to use the Govee Home mobile app (the same one I featured in the Govee Aura review), a huge amount of additional functionality opens up. This includes countless lighting customization options, scenes, a timer, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth control, plus Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa voice control.
How Effective Is the Govee Lyra as a Light?
The Lyra is quite capable as an LED light. It’s advanced RGBIC technology means it is capable of serving up 16 million total colors and 2200k-6500k warm/cool white lighting. Even with just the remote, you can control white temperature, cycle through a series of color options, and start-up effects that react to music—and control the brightness in all these settings. It can get quite bright, up to 1500 lumens. That’s about the equivalent of a 100-watt traditional incandescent light bulb.
I’ve used it in a dim corner of my office, with warm white at high brightness and it does a great job of illuminating the space in the evening.
In promo photos, the Lyra is portrayed with the light strip facing a wall, which gives a more diffused effect. I’ve used it both ways, although if you do go with the wall-facing approach, that means the power cable sticks out of what would be the front (or side) of the base, instead of being hidden around the back.
As what is effectively a vertical light strip, the Lyra isn’t likely to replace a traditional floor lamp for tasks like reading. However, as an accent or mood light, it works extremely well—and it’s definitely a conversation piece.
Recommendation
The Govee Lyra RGBIC is a modern, minimalist, and “smart” take on the classic floor lamp form factor. It’s solidly built, it looks quite nice with the aluminum adding a touch of premium appearance, and its lighting capabilities are impressive. At $169.99 (currently $149.99 on Amazon), it’s an interesting option if you want to add some smart lighting capability to a room, but you’re not interested in sticking panels or strips to a wall and a light bulb won’t cut it.
Disclosure: Govee provided a Lyra light for evaluation but had no input into this review. As an Amazon Associate, I earn affiliate fees from qualifying purchases.
