Smart homes stopped being a novelty a while ago. In 2026, the real question isn’t whether your thermostat can talk to your phone. It’s whether your devices can talk to each other, regardless of brand, and whether that saves you money rather than adding another app to manage.
Here’s what smart home gadgets are genuinely worth buying this year. And, just as importantly, what to skip.
In this guide:
- Why Matter finally makes cross-brand smart homes work, and how far the standard has actually come in 2026
- What’s actually worth buying, by category
- Real product names and prices, checked against current stock (not discontinued models)
- What to skip, and why
The one thing that changed everything: Matter is finally real
For years, “smart home” meant picking an ecosystem. Apple, Google, Amazon, or Samsung. Then hoping every device you bought fit that choice. That fragmentation is mostly over now.
Matter is the cross-brand connectivity standard. It’s now widely supported. Philips Hue, Aqara, and TP-Link Tapo all ship Matter-ready devices. Most mainstream smart lighting, plugs, and sensors do too.
The current version is Matter 1.6, released in June 2026. Matter 1.4, released in November 2024, rounded out full appliance support, ovens, fridges, laundry, plus expanded camera and energy-management categories. Matter 1.5, released November 20, 2025, added genuine camera, video doorbell, and intercom support, letting footage from different brands appear inside one unified app for the first time. Matter 1.6 focused on fixing the two complaints users raised most: clumsy setup and poor coordination between ecosystems, introducing easier NFC-based commissioning in the process.
One honest caveat worth knowing: a feature being in the Matter specification doesn’t mean every device or app has caught up yet. Even at version 1.4, industry analysis described real-world cross-ecosystem experience as still meaningfully behind what the spec promises on paper. Don’t assume a “Works with Matter” label means every advertised feature is actually live in your specific app today, check before assuming.
What this means for you: look for the Matter logo before buying anything new. It’s still the best single predictor that a device will actually work with what you already own, even if the full experience is still catching up to the standard itself.
Local AI hubs: less “always listening,” more actually useful
The second big shift is where the intelligence lives. More hubs now process routine decisions locally. Lighting adjustments, occupancy-based heating, basic security logic. They only reach the cloud for the heavier tasks.
This cuts lag noticeably. No more half-second delay before your lights respond. It also reduces how much of your daily routine gets sent to a third-party server.
If privacy matters to you, and increasingly it should, prioritise hubs that advertise local processing. Not just “AI-powered” as a marketing line.
What’s worth buying, category by category
Lighting
Smart bulbs are the cheapest entry point and still the best value. Look for Matter compatibility so you’re not locked into one app.
Beyond basic on/off/dim, the genuinely useful feature in 2026 is adaptive lighting. Bulbs that shift colour temperature through the day to match natural light. This helps with sleep and focus. It’s not just a gimmick.
Smart displays
Worth flagging clearly: Google’s Nest Hub Max was discontinued and pulled from direct sale in 2025. Google hasn’t released a confirmed successor as of mid-2026, though one is rumoured. If you see it recommended anywhere as a current top pick, that’s outdated advice. Genuine current alternatives include Amazon’s Echo Show 10 or Echo Show 15, which remain actively sold and supported.
Security cameras
The bar has moved from “records footage” to “understands what it’s looking at.” Look for on-device person, animal, and vehicle detection. This means you’re not getting notified every time a leaf blows past.
One thing matters more than most people realise: end-to-end encrypted storage. This means footage isn’t sitting somewhere the manufacturer itself can access. Not every brand offers this. Check before buying; don’t assume. Worth knowing given Matter 1.5’s camera support: even Matter-certified cameras vary in whether they actually implement encrypted storage, the protocol standardises how the camera talks to your app, not what happens to your footage once it’s stored.
Locks
Smart locks are mature enough now for daily use. Before buying, check two things. Does it work with Matter, so it’s not orphaned if you switch ecosystems later? Does it have a physical key backup? A lock that fails when the battery dies and locks you out is a real, common complaint.
Thermostats
This is where smart home tech earns its keep financially. Two names dominate the current market: the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and the Google Nest Learning Thermostat.
Ecobee includes a room sensor in the box and adds air quality monitoring. It suits homes with uneven heating, since the sensor helps balance temperature between rooms. Nest leans on learning algorithms instead, adjusting your schedule automatically based on habits, and integrates tightly with the wider Google Home ecosystem if you already use Nest cameras or speakers.
Independent tracking (via ENERGY STAR data) puts real-world savings from smart thermostats at around 8% annually on heating and cooling costs. That’s more modest than some marketing claims suggest, but it’s real, and it compounds over years of use.
Health and wellness monitoring
This is newer territory. Passive sensors that track sleep quality, air quality, and general activity patterns, without needing a wearable. Useful if you want the data. Entirely skippable if you don’t. Don’t feel pressured into this category.
What to skip
Not everything marketed as “smart” earns its price tag:
- Gadgets with no real automation benefit. A smart kettle that just lets you boil water from your phone doesn’t save meaningful time.
- Anything locked into a single-brand ecosystem with no Matter support. You’ll likely regret this within a couple of years, as the market keeps consolidating around Matter.
- Devices with vague or absent privacy policies. If a product page doesn’t clearly say where your data goes, assume the answer is somewhere you wouldn’t choose.
- Discontinued or soon-to-be-discontinued models, even if you see them recommended elsewhere. Check the manufacturer’s current product lineup before buying, a device still listed on a retailer’s site isn’t necessarily still officially supported.
Getting started without overspending
If you’re building a smart home from scratch, don’t buy everything at once.
- Start with lighting and one smart plug. Cheapest entry point. Immediate benefit. Low risk if it’s not for you.
- Add a thermostat next. This is where the real cost savings show up.
- Consider security last. Cameras and locks are the most expensive category. Worth getting right rather than buying twice.
- Pick Matter-compatible devices throughout, even before you’ve settled on a voice assistant. This keeps your options open.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to commit to one brand’s ecosystem?
Less than you used to. With Matter now widely supported, you can mix brands more freely than even two years ago. A single hub device, from Apple, Google, Amazon, or Samsung, is still useful as a central point everything talks through.
Is smart home tech more secure, or a bigger risk?
Both can be true, depending on the product. A cheap, poorly supported camera or lock is a genuine risk: outdated firmware, weak default passwords. A well-reviewed device from an established brand, kept updated, is generally more secure than the non-smart equivalent. Research before buying. Don’t assume “smart” means “safe.”
What’s the realistic energy saving from a smart thermostat?
Around 8% annually on heating and cooling costs, based on independent ENERGY STAR tracking. That’s more conservative than some manufacturer claims. Savings are largest if you’re replacing a poorly managed manual thermostat. They’re smaller if you’re upgrading from an already well-programmed device.
Do I need a dedicated hub, or can I just use my phone?
For a handful of devices, your phone and their individual apps are fine. Once you’re running automations across several devices, lights, thermostat, and locks talking to each other, a proper hub makes management genuinely easier.
Is Matter 1.3 still the current version?
No. Matter has moved through several releases: Matter 1.4, released November 2024, brought full appliance support. Matter 1.5, released November 20, 2025, added camera and video doorbell support. Matter 1.6, released in June 2026, is the current version, focused on easier setup and better cross-ecosystem coordination. Look for what version a specific device actually supports rather than assuming the newest-numbered spec is what you’re buying.
Looking for specific product recommendations? Check out our Best Running Gadgets and Robot Vacuum Showdown for tested picks in related categories.
