4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat review: Pricey but stunning

Key Takeaways

• Google’s 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat offers a sleek design and a packed-in temperature sensor.
• Setup can be challenging, but the thermostat is user-friendly once installed.
• The price is high, but if you can afford it, you’ll get a premium smart thermostat experience.

At this point, smart thermostats are pretty common. A lot of people own them and, more often than not, they have a model from Nest, Ecobee, or Amazon. As far as smart home devices go, smart thermostats are among the most useful, allowing users to change the temperature of their home from their phone, whether at home or on the go.

In the case of Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat, temperature settings are mostly automated and take into account the season, the weather outside, and your heating and cooling habits. For example, if it’s cold outside, the automatic temperature shifts. If it happens to be warmer than expected, in theory, the Learning Thermostat will kick up the air conditioning a few notches. However, this smart learning system isn’t perfect, especially if you live in a townhouse with a perpetually far too warm upstairs like me.

Over the years, I’ve tried several different smart thermostats, including older Ecobee models and several different Nest Learning thermostat generations. All of them have generally worked fine for several months or a few years before encountering any sort of issue. With the Ecobee, it was the C-wire power adapter dying in my condo’s HVAC unit (this happened to me over three times). Then, more recently, my 3rd-gen Nest Learning Thermostat started randomly running out of battery, forcing me to plug it in to recharge every few weeks. Why? I still don’t know, but I assume its internal battery finally ran its course.

With this in mind, when Google revealed the sleek-looking 4th gen redesign of its popular Nest Learning Thermostat, I was all in and ready to upgrade. While the thermostat is undeniably great-looking and features a refreshed, more intuitive menu, not that much has changed given the more expensive price tag.

Price, specs, and availability

Google’s 4th generation Nest Learning Thermostat is available now for $279 in polished silver, polished obsidian, and polished gold, which is slightly more expensive than the 3rd generation costs at most retailers. That said, many This device was provided to Pocket-lint by Google.utility providers offer slightly older Nest Learning Thermostats to homeowners at sizeable discounts or free.

Along with the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat, you also get a new temperature sensor and a collection of accessories for installing the device, including a metal mounting plate and a backplate that hides any imperfections in the wall around the thermostat — if you’re as awful at patching holes as I am, the backplate is extremely useful.

What I liked about the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat

This is one of the most stunning devices Google has ever released

The most eye-catching thing about the new Nest Learning Thermostat is its design. I’ve never seen a product like it, let alone a thermostat. Light hits its curved sides at odd angles, making it look sleek no matter where I look at it in my living room. The all-glass appearance is a bit of a smudge magnet, especially the matte plastic back — which, in my case, is black because I have the obsidian version — but given how infrequently I actually interact with the thermostat directly, I don’t mind. Make no mistake, the new Nest Learning Thermostat is a stunning device.

There’s a temperature sensor included in the box this time around — which, if you’re like me and live in a townhouse that’s difficult to heat and cool — is extremely handy.

Like its predecessor, the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat turns and clicks, but there’s a more refined feel to these movements compared to the previous model. I’ve generally found the on-device user interface to be more intuitive, which is nice when I actually need to adjust something. Thankfully, most of the key settings are available directly through Google’s Home app, with the company ditching the Nest app entirely. It’s a small change, but only using one app across iOS and Android to manage the 4th-gen thermostat’s various settings is a welcome quality-of-life change. I hated jumping between the Home and Nest apps to access certain features with the older model.

There’s a temperature sensor included in the box this time around — which, if you’re like me and live in a townhouse that’s difficult to heat and cool — is extremely handy. Google has always sold temperature sensors separately, but offering one with each purchase is a great move by Google.

I placed the sensor in my top-floor bedroom, which is often hotter compared to the rest of the house and changed the scheduling so that the thermostat only takes into account the sensor after 8pm. Otherwise, I configured the thermostat to only take into account the temperature in my living room. While I’ve only been using the new model for a few days, I found it has made my bedroom far more comfortable at night.

Other features I like include the new dynamic home screen that allows you to customize what information shows up on the thermostat’s display, including the temperature, time, weather, and more. This information also becomes more detailed the closer you get to the thermostat, thanks to the thermostat’s new built-in Dynamic Farsight sensor (I haven’t found the screen brightness to be an issue like some have — though this is being fixed in an update). The 3rd-gen Nest Learning Thermostat also features this sensor, but I found that it was inconsistent.

And finally, smart scheduling works just like it has with past Nest Learning Thermostats. This means that you’ll need to adjust the schedule manually for a bit until the device learns your habits, theoretically saving you money on your utility bills over a few years. On the plus side, the new layout in the Home app for adjusting the temperature schedule is far simpler and easier to use than what was featured in the Nest app.

It’s great that the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat can run with or without a C-wire, making the setup process far easier than some of its key competitors. You can also easily set up the device to be location aware through presence sensing based on you and your family’s phone GPS locations and other Nest devices like the Nest Hub and Nest Audio. I don’t use this feature because I like to keep my house cool for my cat in the summer, but I know people who find it useful.

What I didn’t like about the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat

The setup process can still be complicated if you’re new to the world of smart thermostats

Setting up the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat can be a complicated process, even if you already have a 3rd-gen model in your home. For instance, the backplate and mount are slightly different. This meant I had to remove both components and patch/paint a portion of my wall before I could install the new version. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it would have been nice if the upgrade process was more plug-and-play for current Nest Thermostat owners.

The main downside of the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat is its price tag.

That said, once I had the new backplate and mount attached to my wall, the setup process was as simple as looking at a picture I snapped of my old thermostat and copying the cable locations. The Home app does a great job of walking users through this process, too. However, if you aren’t DIY-inclined, you should consider hiring a professional to install the new model.

Of course, the main downside of the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat is its price tag. This isn’t a budget device, and its premium design reflects that. That said, the cost is in line with Ecobee’s top-of-the-line $250 Smart Thermostat Premium, and while sleek, Ecobee’s flagship thermostat doesn’t look even close to as cool as Google’s new device. On the other hand, Amazon sells an entry-level smart thermostat for just $80, though again, it doesn’t look nearly as cool as the Nest and isn’t as feature rich.

Should you buy the 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat?

If you have the money, Google’s new Nest Learning Thermostat doesn’t have many downsides

If you have the money to spare, you won’t find a better-looking, more premium smart thermostat. The overall look of the nearly all-glass 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat is stunning — seriously, some people might even consider it art. I’m also a fan of its user interface, its deeper integration with the Google Home app, and included temperature sensor that ensures my bedroom always remains cool (or warm) in the evening. If you’re looking for a new smart thermostat, you really can’t go wrong with Google’s 4th gen Nest Learning Thermostat.

This device was provided to Pocket-lint by Google.