Smart home accessory specialist Ecobee unveiled two new smart thermostats Tuesday. Smart Thermostat Premium and Smart Thermostat Enhanced offer larger displays than before, a redesigned interface, HomeKit integration and more.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
So both thermostats features nice upgrades from previous models.
Smart Thermostat Premium is Ecobee’s new high-end option. Made from premium materials rather than typical plastic, it sports a new design with a 4-inch display with 540 x 540 pixel resolution. The new design helps the display blend in bezels, with less of a gap between the display and the edges of the thermostat.
Made from zinc, the new version has a more premium look than previous designs. It features a “glass face and smooth waterfall edges that create a timeless look and feel,” Ecobee said.
Functionally, the thermostat integrates a built-in air quality monitor — a first for Ecobee. This air quality monitor displays indoor air quality readings, including relative humidity, estimated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and estimated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. You can view the information from the thermostat’s display and via the Ecobee application for iOS.
The display is 50% larger and more colorful than on previous models. The refreshed user interface improves ease of navigation. Larger temperature sliders make changing the temperature easy, and a simple menu helps users try new features.
The thermostat also integrates with HomeKit, Siri (if have a HomePod or HomePod mini on the same network) and AirPlay. Bluetooth connectivity, Alexa support and smoke alarm monitoring are also built-in.
You can pick up Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium for $249.99.
Where to buy: Amazon
Smart Thermostat Enhanced
If you’d like to spend a little less money than the premium version costs, you could try the Smart Thermostat Enhanced. It packs many of the same upgrades as the Premium one, including the larger display and redesigned interface, but the air-quality monitor is absent.
In addition, the Enhanced model’s body features the classic white plastic design of previous Ecobee models, not the Premium model’s zinc finish.
This thermostat features HomeKit integration, but lacks a built-in speaker or microphone — so no Siri, AirPlay, Spotify, Bluetooth or smoke alarm features.
The one other difference between Ecobee’s two new thermostats is the Premium one includes a standalone Ecobee Smart Sensor in the box. You’ll need to buy one separately for the Enhanced version.
You can grab Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced for $189.99.
Where to buy: Amazon
