Can you use Lego Boost without a tablet or phone?

No. The Move Hub has no onboard controls or screen, and the box does not include printed instructions. The companion app on iOS, Android, or Fire OS is mandatory to build the models and write programs.

Can you build all five Boost models at the same time?

No. The set includes only one Move Hub, one interactive motor, and one sensor. You must completely dismantle one creation to build any of the other four.

Since Lego Boost is retired, does the app still work?

Yes, LEGO continues to host the Boost app in the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore, though major future OS updates may eventually impact compatibility on newer hardware.

How does Lego Boost compare to Mindstorms?

Boost targets younger builders using standard System studs, simple icon blocks, and personality-driven builds. Mindstorms uses dense Technic beams, advanced sensors, and can handle complex text languages like Python.

Lego Boost – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Lego Boost

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Product2017

91%

WISE Score

A motorized kit that turns 847 standard bricks into a walking robot, a playable guitar, or a cat that purrs when you feed it plastic fish.

Lego Boost

Product

2017

91%

WISE Score

A motorized kit that turns 847 standard bricks into a walking robot, a playable guitar, or a cat that purrs when you feed it plastic fish.

Jump to

Where to Buy

Visit official site

Screenwise Verdict

Lego Boost bridges the gap between classic brick-building and mechanical engineering without feeling like a classroom assignment. By wrapping basic robotics concepts in playful models like Vernie the robot and Frankie the cat, it makes loops, variables, and sensor triggers feel natural.

The trade-offs come from the technology layer. Because LEGO skipped paper manuals entirely for this set, your kid will be glued to a tablet during the entire build process. You also have to dismantle one model entirely before starting another. If your tablet runs the app and you keep a pack of rechargeable AAAs nearby, it remains one of the cleanest introductions to hardware programming available.

Age Fit

A bright 6-year-old can build and program comfortably if an adult helps seat stubborn pins, while kids past 12 usually want text-based code like Python.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Physical, constructive play centered on engineering, problem-solving, and playful humor without cynical themes or addictive loops.

Imaginative

Offers five wildly different official builds (a robot, a cat, an automated builder, a rover, and a guitar) while allowing complete creative freedom with standard LEGO bricks.

Safe

Offline, local Bluetooth connection to a tablet app with no social networking, public servers, or chat rooms. Standard small-parts choking hazard for under-3s.

Enriching

Teaches fundamental coding logic (loops, sensors, conditionals) through visual drag-and-drop blocks coupled directly to physical motion.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Physical coding feedback: kids see immediately how changing an icon block turns a motor 90 degrees or triggers a color sensor.
Five radically distinct builds in one box, from Vernie the robot to an automated mini-assembly line, avoiding the one-and-done trap of themed sets.
Standard brick integration: the motors and sensors snap right onto normal LEGO pieces, so custom creations can get as large as your parts bin allows.

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What to Watch For

Zero paper instructions: building requires staring at a tablet screen for hours, which some families try to minimize during physical LEGO time.
Tear-down friction: there is only one Move Hub, so building the rover means completely dismantling the robot your kid spent four afternoons assembling.
Battery appetite: it runs on six AAA batteries with no rechargeable pack included; motorized builds go through them quickly.

Conversation Starters

"What sensor trigger would make Vernie act startled whenever someone walks into the room?"
"Why did the rover get stuck on the rug when the wheels kept spinning?"
"If we added a second motor to the guitar build, what physical effect would you make it control?"

Deep Dive

The sweet spot between basic bricks and Mindstorms

LEGO spent years with a gaping hole in its robotics lineup: Duplo coding trains were too childish for primary schoolers, while Mindstorms was dense, expensive, and intimidating for anyone who had not already mastered mechanical gearing. Boost landed right in the middle. It takes standard System bricks, pairs them with a central Bluetooth battery hub, and gives kids five distinct templates to build.

The real star of the kit is Vernie, the walking, talking robot who serves as the flagship build. He has personality baked into his programming: he rolls on tank treads, gestures with his head, eyebrows move, and he makes commentary through your tablet's speakers. Because each step of the build weaves in a mini-programming challenge, kids test their code along the way rather than waiting until brick 847 is placed.

The digital constraint

There is no getting around the fact that Boost ties tactile play directly to a screen. The app handles everything: the 3D step-by-step building guide, the sandbox programming canvas, and the sound effects. While the drag-and-drop programming interface uses intuitive icons instead of text, navigating multi-step routines across a small tablet screen can test a kid's patience.

Because this kit has reached retired status at LEGO, check your device compatibility before tracking down a set on the secondhand market. The companion software remains available on major app stores, but older electronics kits always carry the long-term risk of operating system updates quietly breaking Bluetooth handshake protocols.

How to get the most out of it

Treat the tear-down process as part of the ritual. The biggest heartbreak with Boost is that kids get emotionally attached to Vernie and refuse to break him apart, meaning the other four models never get built. Before opening bag one, establish that this is a workshop set, not a display shelf model. Once Vernie has had his run, run the reverse disassembly together and move straight to the automated builder or the guitar.

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