The Google Nest Learning Thermostat Looks Like a Giant Pixel Watch, and That’s the Point

Google likes the look of its Pixel Watch so much that it’s aped the wearable’s silhouette for the latest redesign of the Nest Thermostat. The long-anticipated Nest Learning Thermostat redux costs a bit more than before, but it’s looking a whole lot more like a sleek modern device, or a pimple-like clock for your wall, depending on who you ask.

That’s not to say I hate the look of it, though I’ll never fully appreciate Google’s rounded screen bezels. Google claims the look and feel of its new $280 Nest Learning Thermostat were first on designers’ minds. The wheel clicks when you rotate it, and it’s meant to display information from ambient temperature to the weather with pleasant, easy-to-read graphics on a 2.7-inch display. You even have a choice of the finish on the scroll wheel: silver, black obsidian, or gold.

The new device is still meant to handle your home’s temperature with an eye toward energy savings. You can set preferences for staying cool at home, but it then adjusts when you’re away. More than that, Google’s promising even more personalized “micro-adjustments” based on your daily patterns. This could be through the Smart Schedule feature or simply through your activity at different times of day.

Users still have control over these settings through the Google Home app. That means you’ll be able to control it on the new Google TV Streamer box, but since the new thermostat is Matter compatible it will also work with the cameras situated around your home. The new device comes with one Nest Temperature Sensor, though you can buy more separately. The Thermostat supports up to six sensors at once, and you can do some fine-tune adjustments and even group several sensors to set similar temperatures in different rooms of a modern abode.

The original Nest Learning Thermostats were good even if you didn’t live in a new home with all the modern amenities. Older editions even let you fake a C-Wire to power the thermostat. Google claims the new version should work with or without a C-wire for 99% of homes. Still, we don’t yet know how well this latest device will play in older homes, though the new version doesn’t use the same kind of mount as some of the past Learning Thermostats. Google did confirm it tried to keep a similar layout on the new 12-terminal backplate so you shouldn’t need to adjust many holes or wires. As the initial rumors suggested, Google confirmed the new device supports Soli radar.

The new thermostat does even more for interconnected homes. The device can let you know if there’s something wrong with your HVAC system. And its System Health Monitor will send users alerts if the device detects some odd reading that could be a glitch or fault in your air conditioning or heating. 

I just got done wearing the big Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, and then I thought that was a big watch. Now I’m looking at the Nest Learning Thermostat and imagining if the Pixel Watch 2 was thick enough you’d need Hulk hands to wear it comfortably. Now, it’s the most clock-like Nest Thermostat that has ever appeared, though it maintains the scroll wheel with a much cleaner metallic look on the very edge of the rounded bezels.

Whether you do or don’t like the new look, it’s been a long time coming. The last Nest Thermostat Google put out in 2020 cost just $130 at launch, but it also lacked a scroll wheel. Google first launched the third-gen $240 Nest Learning Thermostat all the way back in 2015, so the true sequel has been a long time coming, even with the $40 price bump.

For the $280 redesigned thermostat, Google’s also selling temperature sensors for $40 individually, or a three-pack for $100. Preorders start today and the device will be available Aug. 20.