Logitech says that its new Harmony Elite is “every remote you’ll ever need”, praise I’d wager most of the company’s top-tier releases over the years would have also deserved. But, as time passes, the company’s offerings do continue to get better, with regards to product support, ease-of-use, and overall design.
Almost exactly one year ago, Logitech beefed-up its support of home automation, allowing users to control things like the Nest thermostat and Philips hue lighting. The only thing previous remotes have truly lacked were buttons dedicated to such tasks – something remedied with the Harmony Elite, as seen below:
I am a sucker for great aesthetics, so I have to say that the Harmony Elite looks fantastic, though it’s sure to be a fingerprint magnet thanks to its gloss-dominated face. It’s also worth noting a subtle change: rather than a Harmony badge sit at the top, Logitech simply uses its own name here. It seems likely that this move ties into the company’s recent transformation. Ultimately, Harmony isn’t the company name; Logitech is, so that’s what should be shown.
As with previous high-end Harmony remotes, the Elite ships with a hub (seen in the shot above) that can be placed anywhere in the home to let you control anything and everything either from the remote itself, or your smartphone. Like its predecessor, Elite has a color touchscreen, a motion sensor, and vibration feedback.
The Harmony Elite will become available within the next week or two and retails for $349 USD (includes the Harmony Hub). If you want to know if your gear will be compatible with the remote, you can look here.