Christmas lights have seen many upgrades over the years, such as bright LEDs and automatic timers. But the latest light strings go way beyond that: App controls, built-in mics and sensor technology let you program light patterns, sync lights to your favorite Christmas songs — and plenty more surprise presents.
So when you’re ready to upgrade your holiday decorations (including year-round options) with supersmart lighting options, here are the picks to start with.
Special note: If you’re looking for a time to buy, now’s the time! Many of these lights are currently on sale for Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday, so you can save money on the admittedly expensive smart LEDs.
Govee Christmas String Lights 2
Length: 66 to 328 feet
Govee’s smart string light upgrades are among the best, with several design changes we particularly like. These lights — which have Matter support and work with Google Home or Alexa — ditch the hanging bulbs for a string light design, making them a whole lot easier to place in a holiday tree, wrap around a wreath and so on.
Plus, the app has serious smarts, with 130 preset modes as well as shape mapping technology for complex DIY options and a surprising AI feature that will try to auto-customize the lights based on texts, snippets of audio music or image prompts so you can really have fun. If you want to take the season to the next level, there’s a music mode using built-in mics to sync up to nearby holiday tunes.
Note that you can pick a color for the LED string itself, with green being the best option to hide the lights in a tree or bush. They’re also weather-resistant and outdoor-ready, so they can fit into any holiday home plan. We also like how affordable they are compared with many options.
Philips Hue Festavia String Lights
Length: 100 to 500 bulbs
If you’re tired of taking different kinds of holiday lights out for each event and then putting them away again, the Philips Hue Festavia lights are made for every holiday event. The indoor/outdoor light string can become any color with the Hue app, right down to each LED to set up the exact theme you want. Add in a Hue Bridge ($60, supports all Philips Hue smart lighting) and you can enable an automatic music sync too. These lights work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri.
Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Holiday String Lights
Length: 300 bulbs
This Nanoleaf string has many vaunted smart features, including Matter with support for Apple Home/Siri, Google Home and Amazon Alexa, plus music syncing. It also has an in-line controller for folks who may not want to mess with a new app during decorating. But our favorite feature by far is the Screen Mirror on PC: Download the Nanoleaf app and you can make the lights immediately mirror whatever colors are on your computer screen, allowing for really creative setups.
Twinkly 200-foot Strings
Length: 26 to 200 feet
If you hate chaining light strings together to cover a sizable spot in your home, we suggest Twinkly’s extra-large 200-foot LED string, which gets it all done in one go. The indoor/outdoor lights sport 750 LED bulbs, along with Alexa/Google Assistant support. The app is a bit more limited than some, but that’s a great fit for those who just want to set basic colors and timers with some easy light mapping — without creating headaches. You can add a Twinkly mic ($30), sold separately, to help with music syncing.
Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro
Length: 100 to 200 feet
Are you the type who hates to take Christmas lights back down again and finds they “accidentally” get left up year-round? Make it official with this elite Govee installation. Made especially for your eaves but flexible with placement, these lights adhere bulb by bulb for a permanent display. They can provide everyday lighting, then switch to holiday themes and synced flashing when the season rolls around. The lights are cuttable and spliceable for placement or repairs, and they even work with the Govee motion sensor to activate when people draw near.
To learn even more about your smart lighting options, make sure to check out our guide to the best overall smart lights, top indoor smart lighting tips and the best smart plugs that can give even the dumbest Christmas lights smart features. Oh, and if you’re annoyed at LED lights dying out all the time, we’ve got a guide on exactly why that’s happening.
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