New Nest Thermostat swaps stainless steel for plastic, lowers price to $169

Alphabet's smart home division, Nest, has an all-new smart thermostat. The Nest Thermostat E takes a cost-cutting pass on the smart thermostat guts and software, sticks it in a plastic case, and lowers the price to $169. Most of the functionality and features survive, but, without the super-premium stainless steel body of the regular Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest is willing to cut the price from the usual $250.

Just because it's plastic doesn't mean Nest hasn't obsessed over the design. The all-new look uses a frosted glass display and a white body, which aims to look less "techy" and blend into the wall. The motion-sensing tech-which the thermostat uses to detect if someone is home-has been integrated into a new "Nest pill" located on the front of the thermostat. The app for the Nest Thermostat E gets a similar frosted look.

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