Ecobee Essential Now Available
First announced at CES 2025, Ecobee’s newest Smart Thermostat, Essential, launched at retail last week. With Essential, Ecobee is emphasizing value and simple installation. The thermostat costs $130, nearly half the cost of the brand’s flagship Smart Thermostat Premium but boasts a color touchscreen display and integrates with smart home platforms from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung (however built-in access to the assistants is not available like it is on the Smart Thermostat Premium).
The Circana Take:
- Ecobee’s move to offer a lower cost thermostat is in line with other news of price cuts in the industry as lower cost value brands gain momentum.
- Ecobee is emphasizing the ability of Essentials to lower electricity costs, touting a potential savings of 23% on energy bills- a clear strategy to appeal to cost conscious and environmentally concerned consumers.
Google Home Max Loses Detection Features
Google Nest Aware subscribers who own a Google Home Max will lose several sound detection features starting May 8th. The Google Home Max, released in 2017, has been discontinued for four years and runs previous generation firmware. The announcement affects the speaker’s ability to detect a smoke alarm going off, a carbon monoxide alert, or a potential break in of a home. These features were previously supported by the $8 per month Nest Aware subscription. The sound detection features will still be available to subscribers who own other Google devices.
The Circana Take:
- The Google Home Max was a niche product due to its high price, but owners of the speaker could be considered faithful to the brand for their investment in the hardware and continued subscription to Nest’s Aware plan.
- While it is understandable that supporting older devices with the original, full slate of advanced features (or offering new features to existing devices) can be costly, it must be balanced with user satisfaction, especially in today’s hyper-competitive Smart Home market.