Smart outdoor string lights are great, but they can only go where they can reach a plug (or where you’re willing to run an extension cable to). Govee just announced a possible solution with its new $100 Outdoor Solar String Lights, a 33-foot set of RGBICW string lights that charge via a 6W solar panel and otherwise feature many of the same effects-driven, color-changing qualities found in the company’s other outdoor string lights.
The lights look very similar to Govee’s Outdoor Clear Bulb String Lights, and like those, they offer 16 million colors. They’re also Matter-compatible—controlled via Bluetooth—so they should work with any smart home ecosystem you throw them at, with the usual caveat that you’ll need the Govee app if you want the Outdoor Solar String Lights to actually show more than one color.
They cost less than the $130 Outdoor Clear Bulb version, but they’re also a third of the length.
The Outdoor Solar String Lights being solar-powered, it’s good to temper your expectations. The bulbs in this new kit won’t get as bright as Govee’s plug-in alternatives—they’re up to 50 lumens per bulb rather than 80—and they’ll feature fewer effects like lighting scenes and music modes that react to sounds (ideally music, but in my experience, Govee’s lights aren’t picky).
Govee says the Outdoor Solar String Lights will last for up to 13 hours on a charge, which it tested with the bulbs at just 10 lumens. The lights also come with a 4,800mAh battery pack that can fully recharge in just eight hours of direct sunlight, weather permitting. I’d say 13 hours is plenty for a BBQ that wanes into the night, but if the string lights don’t quite make it far enough, you can also recharge them via USB-C.
Like the Outdoor Clear Bulb lights, the solar version is IP67-rated, meaning they should be dust-proof and able to survive temporary immersion in water. The company’s specs sheet only promises they’ll operate between 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 113 degrees Fahrenheit (the solar panel has a different rating of between -4 and 104 degrees), which is a bit more limited than the plug-in lights, but then again, there aren’t that many of us partying in those temperatures.
The Outdoor Solar String Lights are available today, both on Govee’s website and on Amazon.
