Leaked image suggests a new Nest thermostat is on the way

Alphabet-owned Nest has taken some pretty safe choices in the IoT space, building products that rely on a their Internet connectedness to function. Their most recognizable product, the Nest Learning Thermostat hasn’t gotten a cosmetic upgrade since it was released nearly six years ago, though it has received some hardware tweaks to make setup and connection more simple.

A leaked image from noted gadget leaker Evan Blass suggests that Nest has a new thermostat product on the way, though it’s unclear whether this would represent an update to the existing hardware or the introduction of a lower-cost “lite” version.

I might just move on from phones altogether… pic.twitter.com/6WyLEeUD6A

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 19, 2017

In March, Bloomberg wrote that Nest was building a low-cost thermostat that would be below $200. The current Nest Thermostat retails for about $249, though it can be found for much cheaper, but that’s still a heavy chunk of change for a digital thermostat.

The leaked image seems to suggest a departure from the metal and glass design, with a more understated plastic body without a visible LCD display so this could be a move to hit more cost-conscious customers that aren’t necessarily trying to make their house look like an Apple Store.

We’ve reached out to Nest for comment. Details extend just about as far as that tweet does, but Nest shipped their last major release of the Nest Thermostat nearly two years ago, so an update may not be too far away.