Google unveils Nest thermostat with Soli radar without hand gesture support

Google has introduced a new Nest thermostat. It is a cheaper model that costs 130 dollars in the US. The product includes the Soli radar, which is also in the Pixel 4 smartphone. However, this technique does not make it possible to operate the thermostat with gestures.

Google says Soli technology is used to detect motion. That does not mean that it is possible to control the thermostat by means of gestures in the air. The only application for the Soli radar is the ability to detect when someone passes by, after which the screen lights up. Contrary to the previous Nest thermostats, the operation is not via a rotating ring. Instead, a touch-sensitive strip is placed on the side, which can be pressed and vertical swipes are recognized to increase or decrease the temperature.

Unlike the earlier, more expensive Nest thermostats, there is no learning function. That function tried to automatically learn the living conditions and adjust the temperature accordingly. Instead, the new Nest Thermostat is based on a traditional schedule system, where the user must tell the thermostat when they are home or away and what associated temperatures to set.

The Nest Thermostat can be controlled via the Google Home app and supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The product also indicates to adjust the temperature for better efficiency and the Soli radar, in combination with the user’s location data, can automatically trigger an eco mode when the user is not at home. According to Google, this can lead to annual savings of ten to twelve percent on heating costs.

The model will be available in the US for $ 130 in the coming weeks. This makes the device cheaper than the Nest Thermostat-E, which costs 179 euros. The Nest V3 is currently in the Pricewatch for 199 euros. It is not known whether and when the new thermostat will come to the Benelux.