The Hottest Matter Devices from CES 2024
Now we've had time to digest it all and wade through the sea of smart bulbs and plug sockets, here’s the tech that actually got us excited.
As always, Smart Home was a hot topic at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with many companies keen to show off their new Matter-compatible devices—but here are the ones that stood out for us.
Mui Board Gen 2
Unlike most gadgets, which come in various shades of grey, white, and black plastic, the Mui Board is a piece of timber cleverly imbued with a touch-sensitive dot-matrix LED display that blends seamlessly into any modern living space. It’s a physical smart home controller so you don’t need to pull out your phone, and fundamental to this is the philosophy of Calm Technology, which means the best technology is the one that disappears.
Gen 1 was compatible with only a few specific manufacturers, while Gen 2 brings a Matter connection, allowing it to control a number of standard device categories exposed to Matter.
But there’s a big caveat here: we can’t see it on the Matter blockchain yet. There is a certification for an underlying software platform component, the Mui Platform, but this would imply they’re still a long way from releasing an end product. The Kickstarter was successful, but my recommendation would be to steer clear of this one until they have a working product, even if the concept is very cool.
Matter Casting on FireTV and Echo Show 15
As a founding member of Matter, Amazon has always been a key player in the smart home space. The Matter standard has always included a specification for streaming video, but until now, hasn’t been implemented by any manufacturer—after all, Apple already has AirPlay, and Google has Chromecast. So it’s great to see Amazon finally come out with what it calls “Matter Casting”. This means you can browse from a compatible app, such as Prime Video, from your phone, and easily send it to any FireTV device or Echo Show 15.
Future support on the hardware side will come from Panasonic TVs with FireTV built-in, with app support from Plex, Sling TV, Pluto, Starz, and ZDF on the way.
Aqara Hub M3
The Aqara Hub M3 is the ultimate controller, connector, hub, and IR blaster—all in a single box. As well as acting as Thread Border Router and local automation controller for newer Aqara devices, it’ll bring Matter compatibility to the previous generation of Zigbee products. Support for some third-party devices is also promised, but won’t be available at launch.
In addition, the Aqara Hub M3 includes an IR blaster to add Matter compatibility to otherwise dumb home appliances with a physical remote control—and it even listens in to the IR signals originating from the remote, so you can keep using both controls but still have the appliance status updated in Matter.
The hub is already certified, but won’t be available until Q2 2024.
Nanoleaf Outdoor Lights
Not be outshone by the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro, Nanoleaf announced their own set of Matter-compatible outdoor string lights, with an eerily similar triangular lighting profile.
While certified, at the time of writing these have yet to be released.
Nanoleaf already has a range of Matter smart lighting (their “Essentials” line), but annoyingly, their more impressive products—such as the Skylight or Shapes series—don’t work with Matter. We asked Nanoleaf about this, and were told it was because setting up these modular lights involves a layout assistant, which isn’t a part of the Matter standard.
Still, it’s good to see a competitor for the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro.
AiDot P200 Pro Smart Air Purifier
As one of the brands with the most Matter certifications under their belt, it’s curious that AiDot isn’t a bigger household name. While they showed off a lot of smart lighting at this year’s CES, what excited us most is the world’s first Matter-enabled Air Purifier, the P200 Pro. As well as Matter connectivity, it also links in to Apple Health, providing data on current air quality and particulates, and if you opt to share data back, it’s innovative Sleep Mode offers to adjust purification modes according to light and deep sleep cycles.
The AiDot P200 Pro is available now—stay tuned to MatterAlpha for a full review.
Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo Robot and Handheld Vacuum
The X2 Combo combines the X2 Omni and a portable stick vacuum in one package. It handles vacuuming, mopping, self-emptying to its base station, and self-cleaning its mopping pads. That’s impressive all by itself, but what really stands out here is that it uses the new robot vacuum device category added in the Matter 1.2 specification, meaning you can start your clean with a simple command from any of the major platforms.
The X2 Combo is currently up for preorder. However, we’re unable to locate its certification and there's no mention of Matter support on the product page, so it’s possible that's coming down the line (or abandoned entirely)—none of the major smart home platforms support the device type yet anyway.
Lockly Visage
Smart locks are nothing new, but as the name alludes to, the Visage incorporates infrared face-scanning technology as one possible entry method, as well as Apple Home Keys, fingerprint recognition, or a traditional number pad.
Expected to launch Q3 2024 for around $350, we’ll add another major caveat here that it’s not yet certified (and might never be). So if you must have a Matter smart lock, the Aqara U300 with Matter on Thread is probably your best bet, which is also launching soon (and actually certified).
What Else Will 2024 Bring Us?
As a technology reviewer, CES can be a frustrating event. There is so much promise of what’s to come—but you have to sort the selection into “never going to happen,” “likely to be released but nothing like they promised,” and “might actually hit the market.”
While Matter support is often a key marketing point, it doesn’t always carry through to the final product. That could be because the product doesn’t pass certification, or because the big smart home ecosystems don’t support a particular Matter specification yet. Whatever the reason, we aim to keep you updated with our Matter database, sourced directly from the CSA blockchain. Check it out before buying anything for your smart home to be sure exactly what is or isn’t Matter-certified.
