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Ecobee's new smart thermostats have a lot of similarities, but a couple of major differences will help you decide between them.
Megan Wollerton has covered technology for CNET since 2013. Before that, she wrote for NBC's Dvice.com (now SyFy). Megan has a master's degree from the University of Louisville and a bachelor's degree from Connecticut College, both in international relations. She is a board member of the Louisville chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. When Megan isn't writing, she's planning far-flung adventures.
This week, Ecobee introduced two new thermostats -- the Smart Thermostat Premium and the Smart Thermostat Enhanced. The Premium replaces Ecobee's previous flagship model, the SmartThermostat with Voice Control, while the Enhanced model adds a midrange option to the lineup. The existing Ecobee3 Lite will remain as the company's entry-level smart thermostat.
If you're considering one of Ecobee's new thermostats, there are some important differences that distinguish the Premium and the Enhanced. Let's investigate how the Premium and Enhanced models compare so you can decide if one of these smart thermostats is right for you.
The $250 Smart Thermostat Premium is Ecobee's new high-end thermostat, replacing the SmartThermostat with Voice Control. The Premium borrowed a lot of the best features from the last iteration, but also introduced a redesigned display, a zinc body, a radar sensor and an air quality sensor. A temperature-and-occupancy-sensing SmartSensor is also included with your purchase.
The display is larger than the SmartThermostat with Voice Control. I didn't have the older model on hand for a direct side-by-side comparison, but I could easily read the screen across the room (about 15 feet). It also changed the layout of the menu and added some on-screen animations that improved overall usability. The built-in Alexa speaker, for example, used to show up as a light bar at the top of the last-gen model. In the Premium thermostat, Alexa is fully integrated into the display, appearing as an animation when you say "Alexa."
The zinc body adds weight to the Premium thermostat and introduces a more luxury look with silver accents compared to the white plastic body of Ecobee's past models and the current entry-level Ecobee3 Lite ($150).
Along with the design updates, Ecobee also swapped in a radar sensor to detect motion and occupancy rather than the passive infrared sensor used in the older model. Ecobee claims the radar sensor can better detect motion at a distance and even around corners. Again, I didn't have the SmartThermostat with Voice Control with me to compare the responses directly, but I found that the Premium model reliably switched between Home and Away mode.
The most interesting addition here was an air quality sensor, designed to detect volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide. I didn't test the accuracy of the air quality sensor, but a note on the home screen read "Clean." If you click on it, the thermostat goes to another screen with more information detailing where your score sits on the range of poor to clean.
Overall this thermostat has a ton of features and it worked well during testing. I do wish Ecobee had introduced it at a lower price given the industry shift toward more affordable models. That makes this solid thermostat more difficult to recommend, even though it has a lot going for it. If you have the budget for this model and want all the special features, it could be worth it. Other folks might want to consider the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced or one of our favorite affordable thermostats.
Read the full review of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium.
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced is a midrange model with a mix of older features and some of the updates found on the Smart Thermostat Premium. The Enhanced offers the larger display, updated menu and new radar sensor also available on the pricier Premium, but it doesn't have the built-in air quality sensor or Alexa speaker. It does work with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice commands, but you have to have a compatible smart speaker or display.
In addition, this version has the standard plastic body instead of the luxury-looking zinc body. It doesn't come with a SmartSensor remote sensor for tracking temperature and occupancy, either, but you can buy them separately.
If you aren't interested in having a thermostat with an integrated Alexa speaker or air quality sensor, but still want some of the design updates offered on the Premium, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced might work for you.
But at $190, the Smart Thermostat Enhanced is still an expensive app-enabled thermostat. And with sub-$100 models like the Amazon Smart Thermostat and the Wyze Thermostat with similar options, its high price is almost more difficult to justify than the Premium's $250 given its broader suite of features. Take a look at the $150 Ecobee3 Lite if you want an Ecobee thermostat but don't want to spend quite as much as either the Premium or the Enhanced versions.
Read the full review of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced.
Not sold on the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium or the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced? Take a look at our lists of best thermostats and best affordable thermostats to see more options at different prices ranges from Ecobee, Nest , Amazon , Honeywell and Wyze .