Since ecobee released the first smart thermostat ever in 2009, technology has come a long way. Last week, the company announced two new thermostats have bigger screens, advanced sensors, and brand new features you won’t find in any other model. Here’s everything you need to know about the new ecobee Premium and Enhanced smart thermostats, including their features, price, and more.
Bigger Screen, Better UI
One of the biggest complaints with ecobee’s old thermostats was how compact the touchscreen interface was. To address the issue, ecobee increased the UI (user interface) by 50% in its new Premium and Enhanced smart thermostats, without actually increasing the size of the device itself.
In addition to making the screen bigger, ecobee has also updated the user interface. Now, there is a redesigned menu, more space between the buttons, and an intuitive scroll wheel that makes it much easier to manually change the temperature.
For comparison, ecobee’s previous thermostats featured a tall, rectangular touchscreen UI with a resolution of 320×480. The new ecobee Premium and Enhanced models now feature a square UI with a resolution of 520×520. The higher resolution will also make ecobee’s new smart thermostats look sharper and more vibrant.
New Radar Sensors
Ecobee says it was able to make the interface bigger on the new Premium and Enhanced thermostats by replacing the infrared sensors from the old models. With new radar sensors, these thermostats can detect people from farther away, even around corners.
The radar sensors are used to detect motion, so the thermostat knows when people are home and when to automatically adjust the temperature.
What Is the Difference Between the Ecobee Premium Vs Enhanced?
The ecobee Premium and Enhanced smart thermostats have a lot in common. But the Enhanced model is more budget-friendly, while the Premium model comes with a remote sensor, a built-in air quality sensor, and a built-in smart speaker.
While both models share an almost identical design, the ecobee Premium also has a Zinc body, while the Enhanced has a plastic body.
Read More: The best smart thermostats of 2022
ecobee Premium Gets Siri Integration
The new ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium comes with a built-in Alexa speaker, but you can also make Siri the main voice assistant if you have a HomePod or HomePod mini. This will allow you to control all your thermostat from the Home app on your Apple devices.
While the new ecobee Enhanced doesn’t come with a built-in smart speaker, you can still control it using voice commands with your current Alexa, Google, or Siri smart speakers.
ecobee Premium Gets New Air Quality Monitor
The ecobee Premium is now one of the only smart thermostats on the market that comes with an air quality monitor. This will tell you information about the air quality and send you a notification when it drops below a certain level.
Specifically, the air quality monitor will tell you information about the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), estimated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, and relative humidity. However, air quality will only be measured by the thermostat itself, not the remote temperature sensors.
Plus, the Premium smart thermostat will also send you a notification when you need to replace your air filters. And you can even have them delivered automatically if you have an ecobee Air Filter subscription.
How Much Do the New ecobee Thermostats Cost?
Both the Ecobee SmartThermostat Premium and Ecobee SmartThermostat Enhanced are available now. The Premium model starts at $250, while the Enhanced model costs $190.
While the ecobee Enhanced doesn’t come with a remote temperature sensor, you can always buy them separately.
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