Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) + Nest Temperature Sensor (2nd gen) - Obsidian

Why it's worth it

The fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat has the best-looking display in the category and comes with a Nest Temperature Sensor in the box. It figures out your routine on its own, which suits households that never got around to programming anything.

The screen is the reason people buy this one. It's about 60% larger than the previous generation, and Dynamic Farsight lights it up with a clock, the weather or the temperature when you walk past, so it reads from across the room. Brightness adjusts on its own, or you can set it yourself. Owners consistently call out how well it disappears into a hallway.

Its best trick is that you never have to build a schedule. It watches what you do for a week or two and starts anticipating the changes you'd have made anyway. When it wants to alter your schedule to save energy, it asks first, sends the proposal to the Google Home app, and waits for you to tap yes. That's a real improvement over older Nests that just decided things.

From our review of 5 smart thermostats, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The screen is the reason people buy this one
• +Its best trick is that you never have to build a schedule
• +It comes with a Nest Temperature Sensor, so you can point comfort at one room at a certain hour, like the nursery at bedtime
• +Compatibility is broad on paper: most 24V systems, including gas, electric, oil, forced air, heat pumps and radiant, with no C…

What to know

• –The no-C-wire claim doesn't hold for everyone
• –Apple households get less than they'd like
• –The energy reports are pretty but coarse