Twinkly Candies Review – USB-C power makes these smart string lights much more versatile for holiday decorations

Twinly just lately introduced their newest vary of sensible string lights, the Twinkly Candies. These are that can be purchased now, with loads of time to get them for both Halloween or Christmas.

These new lights are available two lengths and 4 shapes, together with candles, hearts, pearls and stars.

Testing these in September, I haven’t had the chance to make use of them for Christmas decorations but, however these will definitely be used this Christmas.

Associated Evaluations

Twinkly Candies Form & Size Choices

Twinkly Candies have a number of product choices.

You may get them with both 100 LEDs with a lighted size of 3m / 9.8ft and a complete size of 6m / 19.7ft with an RRP of £50

Then there may be an possibility for twice the LEDs/size with 200 LEDs at a size of 12m in whole for £70.

Twinkly Candies then are available 4 totally different formed LEDs:

1. Candles
2. Hearts
3. Pearls
4. Stars

Lastly, you have got an possibility of a inexperienced or clear wire color.

Twinkly Candies Key Options

Shifting on from the varied shapes obtainable, the Twinkly Candies have one huge defining characteristic: they’re powered by way of USB-C. This makes them far more handy to make use of. For instance, I can drive them from a conveyable energy financial institution, so I don’t have to fret about being near a plug socket or cope with the mess of cables fairly as a lot.

These use the Twinkly Technology II controller, so the performance is mainly the identical as all the opposite Twinkly lights.

• Addressable LEDs which suggests every LED could be a totally different color.
• You may join by way of Bluetooth or WiFi.
• You may group lights collectively and create complicated mild animations.
• They work with Alexa, Google, HomeKit and Razer Chroma.
• You may synchronise the lights to music.

There are some variations value noting in comparison with the opposite merchandise:

• They’re solely IP20 rated, whereas some merchandise like Twinkly Strings are IP44.
• The LEDs are solely RGB moderately than RGBW like another choices.

Twinkly Candies Specification

Design

The Twinkly Candies use the identical Gen II controller as different Twinkly gadgets. The distinction right here is that the facility cable is USB-C moderately than a Kind G UK plug socket.

One criticism of the USB-C design could be that there’s not USB-C plug socket included. The low energy demand of those means you need to have the ability to use them with any USB-C plug (and even USB-A with an adaptor). This can be a pattern now we have seen with telephone firms, I assume the logic is that it’s to scale back waste.

The lights are separated into two strings popping out of the controller, and the pattern I acquired used a transparent wire, which I feel ought to look nicer for something aside from adorning a Christmas tree.

I used to be despatched the Candles, that are tubular items of clear plastic that simply out from the string. This doesn’t look notably spectacular with the lights switched off, however they give the impression of being a lot better when lit up.

Twinkly App Options

The Twinkly Candies has the identical app expertise as all the opposite Twinkly merchandise I’ve reviewed. I’m not overly eager on the app; it doesn’t really feel as user-friendly because the likes of Philips Hue, however they make up for it when it comes to performance.

You’ve the essential controls permitting you to change on/off, management the brightness and set a schedule.

You may then group up totally different Twinkly lights (which I wasn’t capable of do with this overview), and you’ll then map the lights.

Mapping is strictly what it feels like: you utilize your telephone digital camera to map out precisely the place you have got positioned the lights.

You then have an intensive vary of results, which eclipses something Hue or others have. You can too create your individual or obtain group results.

The mix of grouping and mapping can be utilized to take the consequences to the subsequent stage. All of your lights can work in concord to create complicated animations and lighting results.

Twinkly lacks issues like movement sensors that you simply get with regular sensible lighting manufacturers, however you possibly can nonetheless do that by way of the varied third-party interactions.

Third-Get together Integration – HomeKit & Residence Assistant

The Twinkly Candies formally assist Alexa, Google, Apple HomeKit, and Homey. You can too combine them with Razer Chroma, and in the event you pair them up with a Twinkly Music Dongle, you possibly can sync the lights along with your music.

I don’t use Apple HomeKit, however I can verify that they combine completely with Residence Assistant, Homey, Google Assistant and Alexa.

For Residence Assistant, they confirmed up within the auto-discovery, and I simply had so as to add them. With Homey, I needed to join Homey with Twinkly by authenticating my account.

The big selection of compatibility is great, however I ought to level out that there seem like no plans to make any Twinkly lights suitable with Matter.

In Use

The lights work precisely the way you anticipate them to. The lights are break up into two strings from the controller moderately than one further lengthy size, which looks as if a logical determination, making them slightly simpler to brighten issues with.

The lights themselves are engaging, and the formed design makes them a bit totally different out of your generic sensible LED string lights.

With the candles, it’s mainly only a tubular piece of plastic, which sounds boring, however on the high, it indents down into the tube to the place the sunshine displays off, which does create a form of candle impact, because it appears to be like a bit mild the lights is emanating from the highest of the tube.

I in all probability wouldn’t purchase these simply due to the totally different shapes, however it’s a good characteristic.

It might be argued that the USB-C cable is a bit brief, however I used to be simply capable of lengthen this with a 2m USB 3.0 Extension Cable regardless that it terminated with USB-A. Even the USB port on my PC was capable of drive them, which might be useful for anybody wanting to make use of these for a powerful battle station.

For me, the USB-C is a major promoting level as I can simply drive the Twinkly Candies with my Anker 737 energy financial institution, and this reviews a draw of 6.8w with an estimated run time of 10 hours. I believe I’d get a bit longer as that might solely be 79% effectivity for the 86.4 Wh energy financial institution.

As a result of you possibly can run these from an influence financial institution, it’s a little disappointing that the lights are solely IP20-rated. It will be fairly simple to guard an influence financial institution from the weather, and these would make spectacular out of doors Christmas lights.

Worth and Options

Twinkly Candies have a beneficial worth of £50 for the 100 LED size and £70 for the 200 LED size.

You then have choices for a inexperienced or clear wire color, and the shapes you possibly can choose are Stars, Candles, Pearls and Hearts.

Twinkly has a variety of sensible LED lights with varied LED and size choices. The under a few equally priced choices for the shortest size for the respective product:

• Twinkly Dots – 60 LEDs – 3m – Requires plug socket – £70
• Twinkly Strings (Multicolour + White version) – 100 LEDs – Requires plug socket – £70

Twinkly have actually cornered the market at what they do. There are a rising variety of sensible string lights, however nothing with the identical stage of options as Twinkly.

The Philips Hue Festavia are the most effective various possibility for Christmas Tree lights, however they’ve an RRP of £200 for 250 LEDs at 20m, whereas Twinkly Strings are half this worth. Philips Hue lacks the mapping, grouping and sophisticated results of Twinkly. I do love the Festiva lights, although, however that’s as a result of I’m closely dedicated to the Hue ecosystem.

Govee are usually the most effective inexpensive model for merchandise like this. They’ve the Govee Christmas String Lights, which is 20m with 200 lights, for simply £72 (which isn’t less expensive than Twinkly)

General

I’ve been impressed with all of the Twinkly merchandise, and they’re clearly a preferred possibility for anybody wanting sensible vacation LED lights.

Twinkly barely has any competitors for merchandise like this, which is probably going why they’re so well-liked.

Although there are not any different like-for-like merchandise, Twinkly don’t benefit from this, and I feel the pricing of their merchandise is honest for what you get. Not low-cost, however not extortionate.

As for the Twinkly Candies, I’m an enormous fan. I feel the transfer to USB-C is a major enchancment, and I hope we see Twinkly roll out this modification to their different merchandise. It offers you far more flexibility for working the lights and, due to this fact, placement.  

The lights themselves are wonderful. I’m personally a bit detached to the shapes, however I can respect how the totally different shapes shall be interesting to consumers and work nicely in numerous eventualities.

The candles really feel fairly restricted to vacation utilization, however I feel the celebs, pearls and hearts might be an interesting possibility for year-long sensible lighting. They’d make a powerful addition to a baby’s bed room.

General, these are excellent sensible lights for each holidays and year-round utilization.

Final replace on 2023-10-19 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Pictures from Amazon Product Promoting API