Summary
- Govee’s Mini Panel Lights encourage creativity with endless design possibilities, as long as you have enough lights.
- Installation is easy with velcro mounts that make changing the layout easy though you may need to invest in more velcro strips.
- The Govee app is powerful and full of preset designs but comes with a difficult learning curve if you want to create your own from scratch.
Govee’s Mini Panel Lights encourage expression and ingenuity, maybe even more so than the hexagonal panels or intricate gaming wall lights. The most difficult part is deciding on a design, though an ingenious installation method allows you to change things up with ease.
Govee Mini Panel Lights
Govee’s Mini Panel Lights are among the brand’s more entertaining lights to toy with, from blueprinting a design to finding the right color combination once assembled. Mastering the Govee app opens a world of possibilities as these colorful, customizable lights can create anything from a simple geometric shape to more complex 8-bit characters.
- Installation was a breeze
- Intelligent mapping instantly recognizes design in-app
- Plenty of customization options via the Govee App
- Individual panels are surprisingly vivid
- Square shape limits creativity a little
- Kind of an eyesore when not lit
- Cabling is thick and cumbersome
- Intricate designs can be very costly
Price and Availability
The Govee Mini Panel Lights are available on Govee’s official website in a 10-pack and 20-pack variety for $99.99 and $149.99 respectively. Expansion packs are available for $59.99 for 10 panels. The 10 and 20-pack varieties are also available on Amazon.
The Biggest Barrier Is Your Creativity
When I unboxed the 20 mini-square lights, I stared at them for a good 30 minutes before I was able to muster the creativity to develop the blueprint of a design. It needed to be good. After all, it’s something that will live on my wall and represent my imaginative wealth. Little did I realize just how difficult it would be to land on a concept.
Two hours later (no, I’m not exaggerating), I finally came up with an idea. I wanted to pay homage to the horror game series responsible for my early descent into gaming. So, I pieced together this beauty below and hoped the Govee app (available on iPhone and Android) could do what I needed it to do.
Already aware of what Govee’s ecosystem is capable of, I knew that any design I chose could come to life in a rich and vibrant display. Even a simple pulse of green lights up the room. With these mini lights, Govee rewards creativity and, with a four-sided connection on each panel, does its best not to limit one’s vision. It also doesn’t punish users for changing their minds down the road.
The velcro mounting system is a stroke of genius, allowing users to change the panel layout at any time. You will need to purchase third-party velcro, as the kit only comes with a few spares and, like 3M’s Command strips, the adhesive is for one-time use only.
Installation Is Quick and Simple, if You Pay Attention
It may have taken me two hours to decide on a design, but it took me much less time to get it on the wall. The trick is to pay attention, as you have to insert connectors in the correct direction to ensure power runs from one panel to the next. The adhesive square holds firmly with a preinstalled velcro square. If you forget to add a connector or incorrectly place one, everything can be carefully dismantled without ruining the adhesive.
It’s a very easy install, and the coolest part is when you sync the lights with the Govee app, it immediately recognizes the layout. Of course, it was at this stage that I realized I could have used one of several preset designs already loaded into the app. Where’s the fun in that, though? Unless, of course, you have 70 lights and can create the included Super Mario Bros. portrait. Alas, I didn’t, so I couldn’t.
Govee’s App Is Still Intimidating
As with most Govee lights, the biggest hurdle is the app. Even after reviewing at least half a dozen Govee products, I still stumble upon new things. That’s mostly because the in-app instructions and function labels aren’t all that great, so you really need to experiment and tinker with settings.
The basic preset scenes are easy to navigate. However, I accidentally stumbled upon the DIY settings to create the twinkle sequence that serves as the base for my Resident Evil health bar display.
There is a lot to play with, and I’d strongly encouraging exploring everything. Tools like DreamView let you turn your entire Govee ecosystem into a synchronized light show. Again, it’s difficult to master, because the instructions are pretty bad, but I liked being able to sync my Govee lights to music or create a Halloween display with essentially one button press.
The app can be frustrating at first, but there’s a significant payoff once you learn how to coordinate lights and create a dynamic display to elevate your gaming space.
The More the Merrier (And Costlier)
One thing I didn’t expect once I was done setting up the panel lights was that I’d want more. I have hexagonal lights in another room and it’s a small, modest display I’m quite happy with. With these mini squares, though, I really wished I had another 20 or so. There are so many designs that can be created, from retro favorites like a Pac-Man ghost to a pixelated version of Cloud’s Buster Sword, complete with materia. These were just a few of the ideas I had mapped out. Unfortunately, 20 lights isn’t enough for either.
Govee wants users to go wild with their creativity, which is why each power source can handle up to 70 lights. If I counted correctly, I could have done a smaller version of the Buster Sword with around 30, which is really just the base pack plus an expansion pack. Unfortunately, that would have been a $210 design.
This brings me to the biggest problem with Govee’s Mini Panel Lights. They’re shockingly expensive. A pack of 20, which includes a power source, is about the same price as 65 feet of outdoor LED lights to cover your home’s exterior. Granted, you can do quite a bit more with the mini panel lights, but it’s still an uncomfortable price tag.
Should You Buy Govee Mini Panel Lights?
If you want to enhance the RGB lighting of a gaming or entertainment space, I think the Govee Mini Panel Lights are a leap forward from standard lighting. On their own, they’re simple squares of light. However, in the right hands, they can become an elaborate, multicolored display that pays homage to gaming classics or whatever else may come to mind.
It can get costly to create a really in-depth display, but the customization makes it worth it. Once you get past the initial learning curve, Govee’s app allows you to take full control of each panel. That makes it possible to plaster a vivid recreation of something as recognizable as 8-bit Mario (or Luigi, if you were always player two) on the wall.
Govee continues to step up its game with each new light, ensuring that users don’t just feel like they’re in control. They actually are in control, and their creativity isn’t wasted. Ultimately, if you like customizable lights and have a bit of free wall space, it’s tough not to recommend building a custom display with these mini lights.
Govee Mini Panel Lights
Govee’s Mini Panel Lights are among the brand’s more entertaining lights to toy with, from blueprinting a design to finding the right color combination once assembled. Mastering the Govee app opens a world of possibilities as these colorful, customizable lights can create anything from a simple geometric shape to more complex 8-bit characters.
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