Google is Reportedly Working on A Cheaper Nest Thermostat

As reported by Bloomberg, Google will be releasing the newest version of its Nest Thermostat in the coming weeks. The new device is speculated to see a price slash as well as the addition of gesture controls. The device will reportedly be priced at $129.

According to Bloomberg “Google is preparing to launch a $129 Nest Thermostat.” That price would undercut the Nest Thermostat E announced in 2017 by $40 and is significantly cheaper than the $249 third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat. The new device is also rumored to sport a plastic casing, along with updates in tech, with the replacement of touch-based controls with a new technology that relies on hand gestures.

Source: Yahoo News

Reports also suggest the gesture controls would be similar to those used in Google’s Pixel 4. That phone was equipped with a specialized sensor that used radar to detect motion at close range. It is also being said that Google might adopt this same tech in its 4th-generation Nest Thermostat, but now we have a better idea of how this might work.

Users will be able to “swipe their hand up or down near the device to control the temperature or move their hand toward or away to navigate menus.”

As quoted by Bloomberg, “The new thermostat will include a sensor similar to the Soli system included in last year’s Google Pixel 4 phone. The component reads a user’s hand gestures, so they can swipe their hand up or down near the device to control the temperature or move their hand toward or away to navigate menus.”

Source: FunkyKit

The use of Soli, along with the plans for a new Thermostat has reached tech enthusiasts, especially since both entities have already passed through FCC certification.

Bloomberg has also claimed that “It (The new thermostat) features Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, as well as a 60GHz transmitter. It’s not yet clear what the latter component is used for. There is currently some speculation that it’s related to Soli and being able to control the thermostat via radar-based gestures. The frequency range on this device is listed as 61-61.5 GHz, while the Pixel 4 is 58-63.5 GHz.”