Nest, the Alphabet subsidiary behind the eponymous Nest thermostat and Nest Protect smoke alarm, is on the verge of announcing a new connected home product with innovative “smart features.” That’s according to Android Police, which on Monday shed light on Nest’s next-generation security camera.
Nest’s upcoming camera, the successor to the company’s current-gen Nest Cam, will reportedly capture footage in 4K. But it won’t actually record or stream in 4K — instead, it’ll use that extra resolution to preserve quality when it zooms in on objects. Android Police reports that the new Nest camera will zoom in on 1080p sections of videos, letting you to see much more detail than the Nest camera’s 1080p sensor allows.
The 4K Nest camera, which is designed for indoor use and features an LED array around the lens to indicate that it’s recording, will automatically zoom to 1080p resolution when it detects video and offer a down-scaled, zoomed-out 1080p view of the entire frame. Its design looks “a bit like a shower head,” according to Android Police, and it uses a USB Type-C connector for charging.
It’s impressive technology, but it won’t be cheap. According to Android Police, the new Nest camera will be priced “much higher” than the current Nest cameras at $300.
Nest’s cameras are due for an upgrade. In July 2016, the company launched Nest Cam Outdoor, a 1080p, Wi-Fi enabled security camera with 130-degree views, night vision, and two-way audio. And in February, a Nest Cam firmware update added the ability to detect doors and motion automatically using pattern recognition, sensors, and deep learning algorithms.
It’s a profitable business, to be sure. Nest sells a $10 per month (or $100 per year) premium subscription service, Nest Aware, which includes 10 days of continuous cloud storage of any video footage. Alternatively, a $30 per month (or $300 per year) option includes 30 days of storage.
A new Nest cam isn’t the only thing Nest has up its sleeves. According to Bloomberg, the company’s working on a Nest thermostat model intended to retail for under $200. The new thermostat, which is said to ditch the original’s metal edges and lean on cheaper interior and exterior components, will could launch as soon as 2018.
Nest is also working on an “upgraded security suite” of products, including a digital doorbell, alarm sensors for windows and doors, a controllable central hub, and a fob which would grant users the ability to arm or disarm the hardware remotely when someone enters a room.
