Google's Nest Learning Thermostat gets a borderless makeover

Google's current Nest Learning Thermostats (third-gen) has been around for nearly a decade. The grapevine has it that its long overdue refresh might be underway. Lately, the rumor mill has been stirred even further as X user @MysteryLupin leaked images of what appears to be a fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, as well as a new temperature sensor.

Two new features listed are “natural heating and cooling”, and something called “Dynamic Farsight”. Currently, the Farsight screen on Nest thermostats wakes up when you walk within 20 feet of the device to display data about the temperature, weather or time, depending on user settings. 

While the leaks do not clarify exactly how a ‘dynamic’ version of this feature might work, it is possible that information shown on the Farsight screen will adapt to factors such as time of day, weather conditions, or energy usage. Besides these display and UI improvements, no hardware changes have been disclosed.

The documents indicate that the fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat is expected to work with any Matter-supported smart home app. It also has a dedicated UI within the Google Home app that grants access to all the features and customizable settings. One of the leaked screenshots of the Google Home app from the same leaker displays an AQI score which suggests the new Nest Learning Thermostat is capable of measuring indoor air quality. 

An exclusive unboxing video from X user @FranklyHonestMR shows the new thermostat with a redesigned Nest Temperature Sensor in the box. The second-gen sensor is more rounded than the current model, bears less conspicuous branding, and boasts a three-year battery life. Similar to current models, it can be placed virtually anywhere – a wall, a shelf, or table top.

The leaked price for the new sensor is $39 a piece, or $99 for three sensors, which is exactly the same as the list price of the current model on Amazon. As for the Nest Learning Thermostat itself, the leaks indicate $279; making it unarguably the most expensive thermostat from Google, outpacing the now-discounted third-generation model.

FCC filings from last month suggest that the 4th gen Nest Learning Thermostat may use Google's Soli radar, like the Nest Thermostat (2020). This would be a welcome progression from the motion sensors in the dated third-gen model. However this also implies a lack of Thread support, which seems like a surprising omission for a 2024 gadget from Google. The thermostat also doesn't seem to be compatible with Matter; which is even more surprising considering how the much cheaper Nest Thermostat (2020) already has such support. 

Google's officially launch of the Nest Learning Thermostat will be at the in-person hardware event for the Pixel launch on August 13th.