August's slimmer WiFi smart lock is now available for $250
You don't need a Bluetooth bridge to pair it with the company's app.
After debuting earlier this year at CES 2020, August's latest smart lock is now available to buy. Starting today, you can purchase the $250 WiFi Smart Lock on the company's website and Best Buy (where it seems to have sold out already). On May 17th, it will also be available at other major retailers.
Besides a 45 percent smaller design, the WiFi Smart Lock's marquee improvement is that you don't need a Bluetooth bridge to use it. Instead, it pairs directly with the August app. The company also added textured ridges to the side of the lock to make turning it manually easier.
The smaller footprint of the WiFi lock does come at a cost, however. Compared to August's previous Smart Lock Pro, the new device uses CR123 batteries, instead of more common AAs. Unless you need to protect a small business, now is probably not the time to buy a smart lock. But when things return to normal, the ability to share a temporary virtual key with a neighbor, dog walker or Airbnb user makes August's locks pretty nifty to own.
Correction 5/13 4:28PM ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock uses CR2 batteries.
