Nest Thermostat Review: Affordable, but Less Magical

If you were to take the learning — and some of the style — out of the Nest Learning Thermostat, you’d end up with the Nest Thermostat. In an effort to come up with a more affordable alternative, Google stripped a number of things out of its original flagship smart thermostat. The result is a still-attractive device that’s priced to compete with the multitude of the best smart thermostats that have come on the market since the original Nest. 

In this Nest Thermostat review, we’ll see if what Nest took out of its top-tier smart thermostat is worth the tradeoff in price, and if you should get it for your home.

Update (April 2023): The Nest Thermostat now works with Apple HomeKit. 

Nest Thermostat review: Price and availability

The Nest Thermostat went on sale in 2020 for $129; that’s half the price of the Nest Learning Thermostat. The Nest Thermostat is available in four colors: white, sand, fog (a pale green), and charcoal. 

Nest Thermostat review: Design

The first thing that captures your eye is the Nest Thermostat’s mirrored surface; it’s a little larger than the mirror you’d find in a makeup compact, and probably as useful if you need to touch up as you’re walking by.

The temperature and other status updates glow from beneath its surface, but only appear when you walk close to the thermostat and it senses your presence. When you look at it up close, you can see that the actual display is a small square inside the circle.

While the Nest Thermostat has the same circular shape as the Nest Learning Thermostat, its outer bezel (made of plastic, not metal) doesn’t spin; instead, there’s a small touch strip along the right side which you use to navigate menus and select items. It’s easy enough to use — though I did accidentally tap when I meant to scroll — but not as classic, nor as satisfying, as the original.

For better or worse, you don’t have to touch the surface of the Nest Thermostat to select items — and mess up the reflective surface with your fingerprints — but years of using touch screens made me want to reflexively tap on the display.