Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium Review (2026): Room Smarts

If you want a thermostat that does more than hold a schedule, this Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium (EB-STATE6-01) review is for you. It is a mid-range smart thermostat built around room sensing, a built-in air quality monitor and a voice assistant, and it suits smart home owners who want one device covering comfort, air quality and ecosystem support. This review is based on manufacturer specs and what independent experts report, not on hands-on testing.

What the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is

The Premium is a feature-rich smart thermostat. Alongside temperature control, it adds an included SmartSensor for the rooms that matter, radar occupancy sensing, an air quality monitor and Siri or Alexa with a smart speaker and mic. Siri (which needs an Apple home hub) or Alexa is available on the device itself.

That breadth is the appeal. Rather than adding separate gadgets for room sensing, air quality and voice control, the Premium puts them in one wall unit. The trade-offs are a high price for a thermostat, a paid plan for some security features and no native Matter support. We cover those below.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium (EB-STATE6-01) review: design and build

The body is a black front on a die cast zinc-alloy frame, and the premium zinc-alloy body is one of the strengths reviewers point to. The unit measures 103.89 mm x 103.89 mm x 25.9 mm (4.09 x 4.09 x 1.02 in.), so it is a compact square on the wall.

The display is a 4 in. full-color LCD touchscreen at 540 x 540 pixel. Reviewers describe it as large and responsive.

The operating temperature range is 14° to 122°F (-10° to 50°C), and the desired temperature range you can set is 45° to 92°F (7° to 33°C).

Installation and HVAC compatibility

The Premium is wired and powered by 24VAC through terminals C and Rc. A common stumbling block for smart thermostats is a home with no C-wire, and Ecobee includes a Power Extender Kit for that case. Power consumption is up to 3.5 VA.

Compatibility is broad. Ecobee lists most 24VAC systems, including:

• furnaces and ACs (2H/2C)
• heat pumps (2H/2C + 2 stage AUX heat)
• boilers
• PTACs
• fan coil units with up to 3 fan speeds

It will not suit every system. Check your equipment against Ecobee's compatibility information before buying.

Room sensing and the SmartSensor

Reviewers highlight the included SmartSensor, together with radar occupancy sensing, as helping to even out hot and cold spots. The idea is simple. A remote sensor measures temperature in other rooms, not only at the wall where the thermostat is mounted.

The thermostat itself carries temperature, humidity, occupancy (radar) and proximity (radar) sensors. Radar occupancy sensing is also used for comfort and security.

The included SmartSensor is aimed at helping manage hot and cold spots in the rooms that matter.

Air quality monitoring and filter reminders

The built-in air quality monitor alerts you to poor air quality and reminds you to change the furnace filter.

The monitor alerts you to poor air quality and reminds you to change the furnace filter.

Smart home support and voice control

The Premium suits people already invested in an ecosystem. It works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Alexa, SmartThings and IFTTT. Siri (with an Apple home hub) or Alexa is built into the thermostat, which has its own speaker and microphone.

The speaker is a different matter from the voice assistant. A common criticism is that it is weak for playing music, so treat it as a way to talk to the assistant, not as a speaker for your living space.

Connectivity includes dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4GHz and 802.11 a/n/ac @ 5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0. The ecosystem list is a main attraction for anyone already using one of those platforms.

There is one gap. Reviewers note there is no native Matter support. If Matter is central to your plans, factor that in. For the wider setup, see our guide to the best Matter hub.

Security features and the subscription catch

The Premium's security features are mixed. Smoke-alarm detection and break-in alerts are available, but only with the paid ecobee Smart Security plan. Reviewers flag this as a criticism.

The smoke-alarm detection and break-in alerts are the features that need the paid plan. The security extras need an ongoing payment. If you want security without recurring fees, our guide to the best security camera without subscription covers alternatives.

What experts like and what they criticise

TechGearLab scores the Premium 85/100, the one published expert score we have for it. Reviewers' praise is consistent:

• the premium zinc-alloy body and large, responsive touchscreen
• the SmartSensor and radar occupancy sensing for balancing temperatures
• the air quality monitor with its furnace filter reminder
• support for HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings and IFTTT
• the Power Extender Kit in the box

The criticisms are just as consistent. Security features require the paid plan, the speaker is weak for music, the price is high for a thermostat and there is no native Matter support. The Premium is in the mid-range price tier, but reviewers still note it is priced high for a thermostat.

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Buy it if:

• you want room sensing to address uneven temperatures
• you use Apple, Google, Amazon or SmartThings and want the thermostat to fit in
• you like the idea of built-in air quality monitoring and filter reminders
• your home has no C-wire and you want the fix included

Skip it if:

• you only need basic scheduling, since simpler and cheaper thermostats do that
• you do not want a subscription for smoke-alarm detection and break-in alerts
• native Matter support is a must
• you want the built-in speaker to double as a music source

How it fits in the thermostat market

Smart thermostats range from simple Wi-Fi models that handle schedules and phone control to feature-rich units like this one. The Premium belongs in the second group: a screen, sensors, a voice assistant and wide ecosystem support in one device. You pay for that breadth, and if you will not use the extras, a simpler model is the more sensible buy.

The thermostat has a 3-year limited warranty and is ENERGY STAR certified.

Verdict

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is a feature-rich smart thermostat for people who will use its extras. The SmartSensor and radar sensing help manage hot and cold spots, the air quality monitor also reminds you to change the furnace filter, and the ecosystem support is broad. Against that, the price is high, security features cost extra and Matter is missing natively. If you will use the sensing and the integrations, it is a good fit; if you just want a thermostat that keeps to a schedule, look at something simpler.

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