My favorite smart lamp now doubles as a speaker with JBL sound – here’s how it performs

4 hours ago 2

While the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL isn’t my favorite Govee smart light I’ve tested, it has a bunch of fun features and it's a good speaker considering the price. There are a couple of little frustrations, such as the preset audio that’s linked to some scenes by default, and the fact that the UK model doesn’t come with a power adapter, but it’s a great smart lamp and Bluetooth speaker combo if you’ve got the budget.

Pros

  • +

    Huge range of lighting effects

  • +

    Voice control

  • +

    Audio quality is good for the price

  • +

    Rechargeable battery

Cons

  • -

    No power adapter with UK model

  • -

    Some scenes play preset audio by default

  • -

    Bass lacks impact

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Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is a smart lamp and Bluetooth speaker combo that enables you to switch up the vibe in moments.

Available to purchase directly from the Govee website or at Amazon, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL has a list price of $179.99 / £169.99. While the price is certainly on the steep side, if you’re already a big Govee fan and want to save space by incorporating a speaker into your smart light setup, this would be a good way to go about it.

Having said that, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL already been subject to a $20 / £20 discount in the Govee Fall sale, which sweetens the deal a little. That's despite the fact that it has only been available in the US for around 11 weeks, and less than a week in the UK, at the time of writing.

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is emitting a warm white light.

(Image credit: Future)

Being so used to the Govee Table Lamp 2, which I happen to have two of, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL looks a little on the chonky side. This is understandable, considering it’s packing a speaker and a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery, which can provide up to four and a half hours of playback if the volume and brightness are set to fifty percent.

There’s a notable difference between the US and UK models when it comes to the power cable. The connector is set at a 90-degree angle in both cases, as the power port is located on the bottom of the lamp, but the US uses a small DC connector, and the UK uses USB-C.

More importantly, the cable for the US model is moulded to a US plug, so you can just plug and play; but in the UK, a USB-C cable is all that’s included, so I needed to source an adapter with a minimum of 35W for it to run efficiently. The first adapter I had to hand turned out to be too low-powered, and the lamp was clearly unimpressed.

A view of the DC connector and power cable of the American model of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

(Image credit: Future)

Getting the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL synced with the app and with the WiFi networks in the office and at home was a quick and simple process. There are two separate Bluetooth connections, one for the lamp itself and one for the speaker. I found this a little inconvenient at times, as it seemed I needed to reconnect the speaker in my phone’s Bluetooth settings whenever I’d been out of the room. But overall, it makes sense that it’s set up this way, as one may want to listen to music on their headphones while still enjoying the features of the lamp.

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A close-up of the speaker and controls on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

(Image credit: Future)

There are two elements of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL’s design that provide eye-catching lighting effects. These are the main body of the lamp, as you’d expect, but also the base, thanks to its clever reflective design. Both elements can be used independently or together, so you can have your lighting effects as stand-out or as subtle as you’d like.

The control panel on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL was simple to use, with a push power button and four touch buttons for the speakers' volume controls, playing and pausing, and a button for cycling through nine customizable presets.

A close-up of the base of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL, which is reflecting the purple lights from above.

(Image credit: Future)

My favorite way to control the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL – and all the Govee products I’ve tested, actually – is by taking advantage of the voice control via my Echo Dot (5th Gen) or hopping onto the feature-packed Govee Home app.

If you’ve already read some of my other product reviews, such as the highly rated Govee Neon Rope Light 2, you’ll already have some idea of how fond I am of the Govee Home app.

Along with the run-of-the-mill power, brightness, and volume controls, it also boasts over 100 preset scenes, with themes ranging from the ocean to the universe. The Govee Home app offers opportunities to get creative with lighting effects, too, with a finger sketch feature that allows you to decorate the canvas with random colors or drawings before choosing a motion setting and speed, as well as an AI effect generator.

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is lit up dark blue with multi-colored patches.
(Image credit: Future)

One small niggle I have stems from the preset audio that plays by default when some of the scenes are selected. I found some of them to be somewhat irritating, especially if they caught me by surprise when cycling through the default presets using the onboard controls. Fortunately, they can be disabled in the app, but only one at a time, so I had to go through and turn them off for all of my favorite scenes that were afflicted.

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is shown in a dark room and is showing a pink and purple sunset effect.

(Image credit: Future)

The audio quality was as I expected from a JBL speaker, by which I mean it was a solid performer. The treble sounds clean, and I could hear a good level of definition in the high-pitched percussion in the background of Sunny Days by Kolter. The bass lacks some impact, but it still has a good weight to it and isn’t bad going, considering the price. Unless you happen to be an audiophile, you’ll probably be perfectly happy with the audio quality on offer here.

The Dynamic Music feature added some fun when listening to music, especially the Gridding and Ripple effects, and was enjoyed by everyone in my office. I did notice they can struggle to hit the right notes if the track has a lot of different elements, but it’s nonetheless a fun dynamic effect, especially when paired with bass-heavy tracks.

A woman is pressing one of the touch buttons on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

(Image credit: Future)

Overall, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL offers eye-catching and day-brightening lighting effects and a satisfying-sounding speaker for the price. So, if you love the look of the Govee Table Lamp 2 and want a solid speaker to listen to tunes, podcasts, or audiobooks, then you’ll be happy wth the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

If you’re in the mood to check out more ambience-altering lighting, then why not take a look at our pick of the best smart lights?

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review: Price and specs

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Price

$179.99 / £169.99

Model

H6020

Colors

Lamp Body: RGBICWW, Base: RGBIC

Lumens

600

Dimensions

6.1 x 6.1 x 10.1 inches / 18.9 x 18.9 x 34cm

Connectivity

2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

App

Yes

Control methods

Alexa, Google Home, Matter, IFTTT, Apple Watch, Razer

Speaker

Sound by JBL 2.5-inch 500cc full-range speaker

Additional features

Rechargeable battery

Should I buy the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL?

Buy it if...

You want a fun and feature-packed smart light
Thanks to its rechargeable battery, voice control, and the many eye-catching preset scenes and customizable lighting effects, there’s a lot to appreciate here.

You want a smart light and Bluetooth speaker in one
The combination of pretty lighting effects and satisfying audio makes this a versatile smart lamp, whether you have it at your bedside or in your living space.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t want to be interrupted by random audio
The default sounds linked to some of the preset scenes may prove a little irritating.

You want a subtle smart lamp
Whether it’s lit up in bright colors or being used as a reading light, the built-in speaker makes this a pretty hefty smart lamp.

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review: Also consider

Govee Table Lamp 2
If you’re more interested in the smart lighting effects than the audio element of the Table Lamp 2 Pro, then I recommend checking out the previous model. With most of the same features, including a bucket load of preset scenes, customization, and voice control via smart home hubs, the Govee Table Lamp 2 has a lot to offer. Plus, its list price is $100 / £100 cheaper. For more details, and to learn why I awarded it 4.5 stars, check out my full Govee Table Lamp 2 review.

How I tested the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL

  • I tested the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL for a couple of weeks
  • I tested the different features and customizable settings
  • I observed its performance as a smart light and as a speaker

I used the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL on my desk and next to my bed for a couple of weeks.

I followed the setup process on the Govee Home app and explored its features, testing how different scenes looked, and used the creative features to create my own.

I tested the audio quality by listening to different genres of music and bumping up the volume to assess the output at higher levels.

Cesci Angell

Cesci is a Reviews Staff Writer for TechRadar. She writes in-depth reviews based on her real-world testing across a variety of categories, but has a particularly keen interest in home tech, and has written features and reviews about gadgets ranging from headphones to smart lights to graphics tablets. She also has a broad range of experience from working in different industries, from sustainable materials and packaging to skin care.

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