AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights review

These darling fairy-style string lights were surprisingly durable.

Easy to install

Durable

Nice mood lighting

Performance depends on level of sun

Why you can trust Tom's Guide? Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Wire type: CopperColors: Blue, green, multicolor, pink, purple, red, warm white, white Lights included: 100 or 200 Rated brightness: n/aEstimated battery life: Up to 14 hoursWeather resistance rating: IP65Length: 33 or 72 feet

There's just something about outdoor string lights that immediately transforms your space. AMIR's Upgraded Solar String lights are darling fairy-style string lights, and despite their dainty look, they’re surprisingly durable. If you’re looking for some string lights to complement your flower beds, low-hanging trees, or your patio, these lights are worthy of consideration.

With eight lighting modes to choose from (200 bulb model only), AMIR's Upgraded Solar String lights add a touch of magic to any outdoor setting. Each 10-foot strand is covered in about 30 tiny LED lights for a fairy light aesthetic that's hard to beat. Durable and water-resistant, they’re perfect for an outdoor dinner, entertaining your guests and more. As you will see in our AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights review, performance does depend on the level of sun the solar panel receives, but the overall effect makes it worthy of being one of the best solar lights.

The AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights are available in two sizes — 33 and 72 feet, both of which are available to buy from Amazon and cost $12.99 and $17.99 respectively. Color options include blue, green, multicolor, pink, purple, red, warm white and white.

AMIR's Upgraded Solar String lights come in various color options: warm white, white, purple, pink, red, multicolor, blue, red, and green. We tested out the warm white option, which we felt would be the most versatile for everyday use, but if you’re looking for outdoor solar lights specifically for a holiday or event, it's nice that you can choose a color based on the occasion.

You can also choose between two lengths: a 33-foot long wire with 100 LEDs or a 72-foot long wire with 200 LEDs. The lights are simply beautiful to look at, strung on a high-quality copper wire; they’re bright and add a magical, romantic vibe to any outdoor space. Plus, during the day, they’re virtually invisible to the eye.

The solar panel is surprisingly small considering it powers up to 200 LED lights for eight plus hours a night. It's very easy to conceal, although you need to make sure it's getting access to direct sunlight.

There's very little setup involved with the AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights. On the 33 feet model, there are two pushbuttons: one to power them on, so they’ll come on automatically at dusk and turn off at dawn, and the other to set them to blink on and off or stay on steadily. The 72 feet option comes with eight modes of lighting including combination, fireflies flashing, waves, fading, chasing/flashing, fading slowly, twinkle/ flashing and steady on. Depending on how many lighting options you want, you may want to opt for the longer model because of this.

The copper wire makes it easy to wrap the lights around tree trunks and branches, decks, railings, and even fence posts. The one thing you need to make sure of is that the solar panel attached at one end has direct access to sunlight; you can do this by staking it in the ground or positioning it on higher ground wherever you end up wrapping the lights.

The AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights give off a lovely ethereal look. When illuminated, they look a bit like drops of water hanging on a string. You can set them to twinkle or stay on steadily if you’re using the 33 feet model, but there's a lot more options with the 72 feet option. While these lights are brighter than some other string lights on the market, string lights are designed to provide mood lighting, not to illuminate an area, so don't buy them for this purpose.

One issue we had was that it seemed to take about two days of charging before the lights started to illuminate — almost like they were a bit groggy starting out. However, once it had charged, they were fairly reliable. It should be noted that, during a solid rainy day with heavy cloud, they didn't switch on at dusk though. On days when there were only a few hours of sun, they also struggled to stay on for as long in the evening; about four hours versus the standard eight to 10 when fully charged. Essentially, these do rely heavily on how much sun they receive, and won't perform as well in cloudy regions.

When we first opened the box, we worried that the AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights wouldn't hold up to outdoor use — they appear delicate. But, these string lights passed numerous durability tests with ease. Both the string lights themselves and the solar panel have an IP65 rating, meaning that while you can't submerge them in a pool, they will stand up to rain and other wet weather. In our own water-resistance test, the string lights powered up at dusk after four hours of rain and remained on until dawn. However, on a day when there was no break in the rain, the lights didn't switch on, but that was likely because they didn't receive enough sunlight, rather than taking damage from the rain.

Cold temperatures didn't seem to faze the lights either. They spent over four hours in the freezer, only to turn on automatically at dusk and remained on throughout the night. These string lights also worked fine despite facing high levels of wind, and none of the bulbs were scratched from swaying, let alone cracked.

Several online reviewers mentioned issues with the battery; a problem quickly solved by replacing the battery. Still, in our month-long test of them, we didn't have any battery issues.

We love the touch of charm the AMIR Upgraded Solar String Lights adds to an outdoor space. No, these aren't meant to light up an area, but they provide darling mood lighting for an outdoor dinner party, to string along a garden fence or even wrap around a tree during the holidays.

The lights stay on from dusk to dawn reliably, so long as the solar panel has had access to enough direct sunlight during the day. It also stands up well to rain, cold temperatures, and wind. Compared to the Brightech Ambience Pro LED Outdoor String Lights we tested, these aren't as bright, but they’re much more affordable and easier to hang. Buy them and finish upgrading that outdoor space you’ve been spending so much time in lately.

This hidden iPhone feature is the easiest way to take notes quickly

The Google Pixel Watch 2 could track your stress levels — here's how

Forget ChatGPT — this workout app lets you text your personal trainer 24/7

By Tony PolancoMay 30, 2023

By Brian NadelMay 30, 2023

By Kate KozuchMay 30, 2023

By Becks ShepherdMay 28, 2023

By Alex BracettiMay 26, 2023

By Matthew MurrayMay 25, 2023

By Gregory HanMay 25, 2023

By Anthony SpadaforaMay 25, 2023

By Rory MellonMay 25, 2023

By Mike ProsperoMay 25, 2023

By Tony PolancoMay 24, 2023