SwitchBot upgrades its smart hub with physical controls and Matter compatibility
QUICK SUMMARY
A registration with CSA has shown that SwitchBot is working on a new smart hub. The SwitchBot Hub 3 has physical controls, including a control knob and buttons, and is Matter-enabled.
SwitchBot is working on a new smart home hub, and it could be its best designed hub yet. The upcoming SwitchBot Hub 3 differs from its predecessors with its knob and button controls, is Matter-enabled and comes with other smart features.
As spotted from a registration on the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) website, SwitchBot is developing a third iteration of its smart hub. It has a similar design to the SwitchBot Hub 2 and looks like many of the best smart thermostats on the market, but it differs from its predecessor with its new physical controls.
Rather than the sleek reflective design that the SwitchBot Hub 2 has, the SwitchBot Hub 3 comes in black and has buttons and a control knob or dial at the front. According to CSA, the knob can be twisted to adjust the temperature of your smart thermostat and music volume, but it can also be used as a button as well.
Speaking of buttons, the SwitchBot Hub 3 is surrounded by buttons, including home, back and on/off buttons. There's also a strange 'S' button on the right side which as of writing, hasn't been explained but my guess would be Scenes or potentially SwitchBot which when pressed could help you flick through the different SwitchBot products.
Above the control knob and buttons is a display which appears to show temperature, volume, and weather, but this will be confirmed nearer the time of launch. The display will also show real-time updates for your smart locks, and most importantly, the SwitchBot Hub 3 has a motion activated screen so you can wake it up by waving at it or moving the device.
In terms of compatibility, the SwitchBot Hub 3 is Matter-enabled and integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free voice commands. For music listening, the SwitchBot Hub 3 is also compatible with Spotify, Apple TV and other streaming platforms.
As of writing, the SwitchBot Hub 3 hasn't got a release date or pricing. If the SwitchBot Hub 2 is anything to go by, the SwitchBot Hub 3 could be priced similarly at £79.99 / $79.99 or more but we'll have to wait and see.
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