structure and design
Upon unpacking, the first similarities become apparent. Both lamps consist of a few segments that can be screwed together by hand. Assembly takes less than five minutes and is self-explanatory, even without instructions. No tools are required.
Overall, the build quality is decent, although the Tree leaves a slightly higher-quality impression. The base of both is heavy enough to stand securely on both parquet and carpet.
At 157 centimeters, the Tree Floor Lamp is rather compact and looks particularly good in corners or next to sideboards. Its look is minimalist, its shape understated and elegant.
The three spotlights can be individually aligned and even adjusted in focus. Each spotlight can be rotated up to 350 degrees and pivoted vertically by 90 degrees, allowing the light to be directed specifically at an object or softly distributed throughout the room.
The Torchiere is the complete opposite. Futuristic, bold, perhaps even a little eccentric. Perfect for a gaming room or home theater. Govee probably thought so, too, because the oval lamp head evokes memories of a Xenomorph from the Alien movies or an oversized jellybean. At 170 centimeters, the lamp is slightly taller than the Tree, but its height can be adjusted by removing individual segments.
The head can be rotated 330 degrees and tilted 60 degrees, providing additional flexibility in projecting the light. Unfortunately, the Tree's build quality is somewhat inferior, as the head is made almost entirely of plastic. This attracts a lot of dust and is also prone to scratches. A slight bump during testing immediately left a visible scratch.
Light character and performance
Both lamps use RGBWWIC LEDs and support continuously adjustable color temperatures from 2700 to 6500 Kelvin. This ranges from warm light for the evening to neutral white light for working. Colors appear pleasantly soft, without harsh transitions or over-emphasis.
Govee relies on its own color management system called LuminBlend, which combines the coordination of LEDs, control electronics, and software. This is precisely what sets it apart from many inexpensive RGB LEDs, which often only create rough color transitions and quickly appear unnatural when mixed colors are used.
The Tree's main strength is its targeted lighting. Each of the three spotlights delivers up to 500 lumens and can not only be individually aligned, but also vary its beam angle. For example, you can direct one spotlight onto a shelf, use the second as a reading light, and use the third as indirect lighting. This creates a highly flexible lighting pattern that can be easily adapted to different situations.
The Torchiere takes a completely different approach. Instead of producing a focused beam, it diffuses light softly in all directions. The lamp head contains three light zones that together create a broad carpet of light across the walls and ceiling. With a total of 780 lumens, it's nominally weaker, but its wide-area dispersion still creates a pleasant ambient brightness in small to medium-sized rooms.
Control and app
Both lamps can be operated traditionally via a switch or smartly via app and voice control. The Tree uses a foot switch on the cable, supplemented by a separate switch on the back of each spot. This allows the spots to be switched on independently of each other, which is particularly practical if, for example, only one spot is to be used as a reading light. The Torchiere's button is easily accessible in the lamp pole.
For full functionality, the Govee Home app (Android and iOS) is required, which connects to the lamp via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The app allows you to continuously adjust brightness, color temperature, and color. You can adjust this for all three lighting zones together or for each zone separately. For the Tree, these correspond to the three individually controllable spots; for the Torchiere, these correspond to the segments in the lamp head.
Both lamps support schedules and timer functions, such as automatic switching on in the morning or dimming the light at bedtime. Using so-called scene presets – 68 for the Tree and 77 for the Torchiere – automated color gradients and dynamic light animations can be configured, for example, for parties or relaxing evening moods. Additionally, each lamp has a built-in microphone to synchronize the light with ambient sounds in music mode.
For voice control, both lamps are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. They also support the Matter standard, allowing for easy integration into common smart home systems.
Efficiency and metrics
Both the Tree and the Torchiere have an EU energy label of Class "G." This is hardly surprising for RGBWWIC LEDs, where color variety takes precedence over efficiency.
The Tree consumes a maximum of 24 watts and achieves a peak brightness of 1089 candelas at a beam angle of 80 degrees. The Torchiere consumes slightly less at 21 watts, but distributes its light much more widely over 180 degrees, resulting in a peak brightness of 565 candelas. The color rendering index (CRI) of both is 80, which is perfectly adequate for use in living spaces.
