Govee Smart Air Purifier (H7121) Review

Govee's portable and affordable Smart Air Purifier ($89.99) mostly sticks to the basics. But it does its job well, using a three-tier filtration system to effectively and quietly scrub air pollutants in rooms of up to 452 square feet. We like that it supports voice controls and IFTTT applets, too. Our main complaints are that it can't provide air quality readings without the company's Smart Air Monitor ($59.99) accessory and that it doesn't keep historical air quality reports, but those are reasonable compromises for the price. If you have (a lot) more money to spend, the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07 ($549.99) remains our favorite smart air purifier because of its broad range of air quality readings and integrated oscillating tower fan. Meanwhile, the Wyze Air Purifier ($169.99) offers a built-in display and better reporting capabilities out of the box for around the same price as the Govee model (once you factor in the cost of the all-but-required add-on).

The cylindrical Govee Smart Air Purifier is available in white and measures 13.5 by 8.2 inches (HW). An air intake on the bottom portion of the enclosure channels air through a three-tier filtration system. A True HEPA filter captures pollutants from smoke, pet dander, and dust; a carbon filter eliminates odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and a mesh prefilter catches larger particles like hair and lint. You can access the replaceable HEPA/Carbon filter by unscrewing the base.

Clean air exits the device via a grille at the top. The grille features a round and glossy control panel complete with a multicolor LED ring. The panel has buttons for power, fan speed (low, medium, high, or sleeping), a timer function, and a sleep mode (sets the fan to its lowest speed and dims the LEDs). Additionally, there are buttons that toggle the night light, alert you when it's time to change the filter, and restore factory settings.

The side of the unit includes a power port and a box that fits a small aroma pad. Place a few drops of essential oil on the pad to add fragrance to clean air as it returns to circulation. Govee includes two additional aroma pads in the box, along with a user guide.

The purifier doesn't offer onboard air quality readings and its LEDs don't light up to correspond with the air quality conditions. Both the Wyze Air Purifier and the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07 offer those features. It also can't tell you the current room temperature or humidity level, and indoor air quality (IAQ) measurements aren't available unless you link the device to a Govee Smart Air Monitor ($59.99).

Those limitations aside, the device integrates with third-party smart devices via IFTTT and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

The Govee Smart Air Purifier uses the same Govee Home app (available for Android and iOS) as the company's other smart devices, including the Smart Air Monitor and the Lynx Dream String Lights.

Tap the air purifier's dedicated panel on the Devices screen to see its current status, switch between the four fan modes, and remotely power it on or off. Below that, you can adjust the brightness and color of the light via the Night Light panel. Further down, the Scheduling section lets you create usage schedules with both night light and fan speed parameters.

Otherwise, you can configure the purifier to turn on or off after a set period, create an active schedule for the onboard panel, view the filter's remaining usage life, and connect the purifier with the Govee Air Quality Monitor. Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to enable filter change notifications, configure Wi-Fi settings, update the firmware, and link the purifier to your Alexa and Google accounts.

As mentioned, pairing the purifier to the aforementioned air quality monitor unlocks several additional capabilities, including an Auto Fan mode (which automatically adjusts the fan speed based on the current readings), an Energy Saving mode (which shuts the purifier down if the air quality has been excellent for 30 minutes), and a High Efficiency mode (which circulates the air twice using the highest fan speed and then adjusts the fan speed according to the new PM2.5 level).

To get started, I plugged in the air purifier, turned it on, and tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the Device screen of the app. Then, I pressed the Bluetooth icon and the app immediately discovered the device. To complete the installation, I tapped the power button on the app's cue, gave the purifier a name, and authenticated the connection to my Wi-Fi network.

To view PM2.5 levels during my tests, I linked the air purifier to a Govee Smart Air Monitor. I placed both devices in a 110-square-foot room, set the purifier to Auto mode, and lit an incense stick. I extinguished the incense when the monitor displayed a PM2.5 level of 200, at which point the fan revved up to the highest speed. You can definitely hear the fan spinning when it's operating at full blast, but it's still a bit quieter than the Smartmi P1 ($179.99).

The PM2.5 level dropped to 92 after three minutes, 49 after 6 minutes, and 30 after 10 minutes. It required a total of 30 minutes to return to the original reading of 0. For comparison, the Smartmi P1 measured a level of 90 after three minutes, 51 after six minutes, 31 after 10 minutes. After 35 minutes, the reading returned to a normal level (4).

The Govee Smart Air Purifier covers basic air purification tasks effectively and supports lots of other third-party devices, all for a reasonable price. It can't record the level of pollutants in the air unless you pair it with a $59.99 add-on and it doesn't keep historical records of air quality, but neither of those features prevent you from breathing cleaner air. That said, if you want onboard IAQ readings, the Wyze Air Purifier offers that capability, plus compatibility with several types of filters for about the same price as the Govee combination. Our Editors’ Choice winner, the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, costs significantly more, but it offers numerous IAQ readings, 10 airflow speeds, and a cool oscillating fan.

The Govee Smart Air Purifier effectively clears out air pollutants and works with lots of other devices, but it doesn't generate air quality reports or provide onboard readings.

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