After a brief period where details for the Ecobee ‘Premium’ thermostat were leaked, the smart home company have now officially released their brand new product, officially named the Smart Thermostat Premium.
Along with a total redesign, that has a silver surround, a 50% larger touch display, and radar technology to add improved occupancy detection, the new thermostat has a totally revamped display, with large easy to read numbers, as well as smaller, but as important details.
Like its predecessor, the ‘Premium’ works with Alexa, Google, SmartThings, IFTTT, and of course HomeKit. it also utilises Apple’s Siri voice assistant, although, unlike Alexa, Siri isn’t actually built into the device, relying instead on connecting to a Siri-enabled device like the HomePod or HomePod mini, so it acts as a relay of sorts. In reality, as long as you’re home network is solid, you shouldn’t really notice any difference between addressing this or a HomePod. The thermostat can also stream Spotify Connect and Amazon Music via a built-in speaker, or connect to a Bluetooth speaker for better sound.
another new feature is an internal air quality monitor, that measures VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and Carbon Dioxide levels, which when the numbers start to get higher than normal, will alert you via the screen and with push notifications. The device can even remind you when it’s time to replace your air filters. As if that wasn’t enough, it can play a part in your home security setup, although that would require one of Ecobee’s smart security plans, that make use of the company’s sensors and SmartCamera, amongst other things.
All in all, this seems like the kind of upgrade most could easily justify, with such a range of new or upgraded features. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is available to order now via the company’s own site for US$249.99 in the US, or CA$329.99. It’s also listed on Amazon.com, although at the time of writing, it was listed as unavailable.