Nest Thermostat E vs Nest Thermostat: What’s the difference? — RealX

Nest Thermostat E vs Nest Thermostat: What’s the difference?

Nest has unveiled its latest addition to its smart thermostat line, known as the Nest Thermostat E. The original Nest Thermostat is still available and will be sold alongside the new model, but what will the Nest Thermostat E bring? Here’s what you need to know.

It’s under $70

The most significant innovation is that the Nest Thermostat E only costs $169, which is $70 less than the original Nest Thermostat.

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Smart thermostats are expensive. The flagship Nest Thermostat costs $250, which isn’t exactly affordable (although you can get a discount on it). So Nest wants to cater to those who want a smart thermostat but don’t want to spend a ton of money on one.

Of course, $170 is still not very affordable. However, this is a step in the right direction for SmartHome products in general, as price has been one of the biggest barriers to entry.

It’s made of plastic, not metal

The Nest Thermostat E is much cheaper, in part because it’s not made of metal like the original model. Instead, it is made of polycarbonate, which is similar to plastic and much stronger than regular plastic.

Luckily, it still uses the familiar spin dial that spins around the device just like the original model. So you still get the same control features with the cheaper E thermostat.

Matte display designed to blend in with walls

Along with the cheaper materials that the new thermostat is made of, the display has a matte finish that gives text and graphics a warm glow effect, as well as allowing the entire unit to blend in with white walls.

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Apparently, this was a huge focus for Nest with the E thermostat. They wanted to design it in such a way that you essentially forget it’s there. After all, the purpose of the Nest Thermostat has always been to learn your habits and automatically change your temperature settings so you don’t have to worry about it.

Has a bad display

For most consumer electronics, a lower price usually means a lower quality display, and this applies to the Nest Thermostat E. Instead of the 2.88″ 480×480 display of the third generation Nest Thermostat, the Nest Thermostat E only has a 1.76″ 320 screen. × 320.

Luckily, display specs aren’t really that big of a deal when it comes to smart thermostats, as you don’t even look at them remotely while looking at your phone’s screen. But, if you need pixel density, you can look elsewhere.

Does not support «Farsight»

The 3rd generation Nest Thermostat has a feature known as Farsight, which will wake up the thermostat’s display when it detects you are nearby and show you information based on what you want to see.

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You can choose what will appear when this happens, such as showing the time and date, the weather, the room’s target temperature, or the room’s current temperature.

Unfortunately, Nest Thermostat E does not support Farsight. However, it still includes the same motion detection technology so it knows if someone is home or not.

This does not work with many HVAC systems

The flagship Nest Thermostat is compatible with approximately 95% of all HVAC units, but that number drops to 85% with the Nest Thermostat E.

This is mainly due to fewer wire terminals on the new model. Unlike the 3rd generation Nest Thermostat with ten wire terminals, the Nest Thermostat E only has six. Therefore, it is possible that it will not work with more complex HVAC settings. However, you can use the Nest compatibility tool to determine if your system will work.

In addition to the above, the Nest Thermostat E will have all the same features as the 3rd generation Nest Thermostat, including the ability to remotely control it from your phone, as well as voice control using Alexa or Google Assistant.

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