Review: Is the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen worth the premium price tag?

Article content

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

A smart thermostat is an excellent addition to any aspiring smart home. Not only do they help you save money on home heating and cooling, they allow you to turn up the heat without leaving the comfort of your cozy couch or bed – or doing anything at all for that matter. 

Among the latest innovations are smart thermostats that learn your habits and preferences and automatically adjust your home heating and cooling schedule accordingly. They aim to understand your heating and cooling needs better than you do. 

At $330, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) is among the priciest options on the market, but it justifies the cost with a stylish design and an impressive array of money-saving, AI-powered features.  

While the tech is impressive, many people may not need something as sophisticated as the Nest Learning Thermostat and would be perfectly satisfied with the more reasonably priced Nest Thermostat ($180).  

What: Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen
Price: $330
Colours: Polished silver, polished obsidian, polished gold
Where to buy: Google | Best Buy | Amazon

Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen design 

The round all-glass display within the stainless steel bezel gives the thermostat a beautiful, modern look. At 98mm in diameter, it will grab the attention of your guests and let them know they are in a Google Smart Home.  

To control the thermostat, the entire glass and metal ring is a dial, which allows you to adjust the temperature or scroll through menus, and a button, which you press to make a selection.  

The homescreen can be customized to display different information and comes equipped with what Google calls Farsight, essentially a motion sensor that displays different information depending on how far away you are. 

The Nest Learning Thermostat also comes with a Nest Temperature Sensor, a small white disc that can be placed elsewhere in your home and provides data to the thermostat. 

Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen setup 

It took me less than an hour to install the thermostat using the guide in the Google Home App. You’ll initially be asked to set some different temperatures – comfort for daytime, eco for when you are away and sleeping.  

Once the thermostat is set up, there’s no need to set a daily schedule as the device t will learn your preferences based on the changes you make throughout the day.  

Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen features 

The thermostat will take into account a wide range of factors such as humidity,  outside temperature, time of day and whether or not you are home. For example, it will switch from cooling to fan setting when the temperature outside is cool enough to cool your home effectively. 

The Smart Schedule feature will make adjustments over time, either automatically or you’ll receive a notification asking you to accept the suggested change.  

The energy dashboard provides you with detailed info on energy consumption, time spent heating/cooling and more.  

Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen specs 

• Dimensions:  

• Diameter: 98 mm 

• Depth: 29 mm 

• Weight: 161.8 g 

• Display: 68 mm 

• Power source: HVAC wiring system 

• Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium battery 

• Compatibility: Works with most 24V systems, including gas, electric, oil, forced air, heat pump and radiant 

• Smart Home capability: Works with Google Home and Matter, which means it can be set up to work with Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri 

My experience with the Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen

The Learning Thermostat replaced the Nest Thermostat in my 1,800-square-foot townhome in Coquitlam, B.C. and was used to control my gas furnace. Because my family would not have tolerated waking up to a cold house while the thermostat learned our daily routine, we imported our schedules from the old thermostat.  

Over the next six months, the Learning Thermostat did remarkably little tinkering with our schedules, only notifying me once that it was making a minor adjustment. 

Perhaps it’s because, with a two-year-old at home, our schedule is extremely consistent.  

The Learning Thermostat’s integration with our smart home full of Google devices was seamless and using voice commands to adjust the temperature was easy.  

In our case, the Learning Thermostat didn’t offer much of an advantage over our Nest Thermostat, nor did we notice much of a difference in energy savings. This is in large part because the Nest Thermostat has almost all of the features that we found most useful.  

Check out a comparison of both thermostatshere. 

People with more sophisticated home heating and central cooling systems, as well as those with larger homes (who can utilize multiple temperature sensors) may reap more rewards from the Learning Thermostat.  

What: Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen
Price: $330
Where to buy: Google | Best Buy | Amazon