Govee Icicles Review: The Holidays Just Got a Whole Lot Smarter

Not content with dominating the market for interactive smart wall fixture lights, Govee has now decided to make smart interactive versions of everything that lights up. From outdoor wall sconces and laser lights to Christmas tree string lights and now ... icicles! 

Design and Installation

Available in 10m/33ft or 20m/66ft, we also found a database entry for 30m/99ft version, but that doesn't appear to be ready yet. The 20m set (as reviewed) consists of two 10m lengths with a Y-splitter in the center for power—that might be relevant for your installation. It doesn't matter which strips goes on the left or right though; when you add them to the app, it'll configure that with your input to ensure any smart patterns are displayed correctly. 

From a technical perspective, these look to me like a variation of the Govee Curtain Lights, but instead of a small net of 20 x 26 pixels, you have a repeating pattern of 3,5,7,5 pixels. Each 10m strand contains a total of 400 LEDs, each of which is individually controllable using the finger sketch feature in the Govee Home app.

I managed to create a simple white and purple failing rain style pattern in very little time, but in truth, there's so many incredible built-in scenes that you probably won't bother. Unlike a low resolution Curtain light display, it's difficult to design anything meaningful onto icicles. 

The Icicle strings are available only in clear PVC, with a resin frosting around each LED module that produces a large and diffuse light bloom. Actual brightness values weren't provided, but in terms of power usage, each 10m strip draws 24W. Suffice it to say they’re incredibly bright and, along with the diffuser, give a really nice effect—unlike the sometimes sharp point profile of the Christmas String Lights LEDs. 

Designed for outdoor or indoor use, the Govee Icicles are IP65-rated and completely waterproof, though you should keep the control box and power source out of the elements. Govee includes a few mounting options in the box, including a set of double-sided hooks. Used one way, they can slide securely onto roofing shingles; used the other way, they can hook over your gutter. These should be placed roughly every 35cm.

Govee also includes a generous set of cable ties should you want a more secure installation. Alternatively, you can use existing hook hardware that you have, as we did to mount these inside. 

I can't speak to the long-term durability of course, but we longer put up Christmas lights outdoors—the combination of salty Cornish air and horizontal rain means it rarely lasts more than a year. That said, the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights have stood the test of time for at least a few years now, so if the build quality is similar, I don't see why the Icicles shouldn't be ok for the holiday season. 

Matter-Compatible, But No DreamView

The Govee Icicle Lights are Matter compatible with the pairing code available in the app, or on a small sticker next to the controller. As with any Extended Color Light in the Matter ecosystem, the functions available are limited to on/off, brightness, and a single color selection. However, as long as you don't try to change the color, powering them on and off will ensure your previously selected scene is resumed.

The Govee Home app is therefore essential; you can't run these just with Matter. Or rather, you could, but you'd be missing out on 99% of the features.

Unlike the Christmas String Lights 2 that I reviewed a few weeks ago, the Icicles aren't DreamView compatible. That's slightly disappointing if you want to hook them into a synchronized musical display—or even a bit of gaming effects via the new Govee HDMI AI Sync Box 2—but they do have their own independent music-controlled scenes, and they do work with the Govee Desktop app, so maybe it's just a case of waiting for an update. 

Time to Upgrade Your... Icicles?

Govee has so many options now; if you want something to light up your house but aren’t particularly keen on the random icicle string shapes or want something that will look great but be a little more discreet beyond the holidays, then the Permanent Outdoor Lights are probably a better choice. 

While you won’t get the falling rain patterns, they are bright enough to light up the whole house, and feature a good selection of dynamic scenes.

But if you’re looking to upgrade your holiday display this year, and icicle lights are a part of that, then the Govee Icicle Lights are a brilliant choice. That is, as long as you're not a traditionalist who thinks icicles should be blue or white.