SwitchBot just raised the bar on smart home security. The company's new Lock Vision deadbolt, announced at CES, ditches your physical key for 3D facial recognition that lets you unlock your door with just a glance. Unlike all of SwitchBot's previous locks, this one actually replaces your existing deadbolt instead of clipping onto it - a significant shift that makes installation simpler but requires tearing into your door.
SwitchBot just made your house key obsolete. The company announced the Lock Vision at CES, a new deadbolt smart lock that scans your face and unlocks instantly. It's built on the same 3D facial recognition tech that powered SwitchBot's Keypad Vision last year, but now it's coming to your front door in a way that fundamentally changes how smart locks work.
Here's what makes this different from everything SwitchBot has made before. Every previous smart lock from the company retrofitted over your existing deadbolt - basically a smart layer on top of what was already there. The Lock Vision? It replaces your lock entirely. That means installation requires removing your old lock and putting this one directly in its place. It's a bigger commitment, but it also feels like a more permanent, integrated part of your door.
The device supports Matter-over-Wi-Fi, which means it'll play nicely with Apple Home and whatever other Matter-compatible ecosystem you've built. That's important for people trying to consolidate their smart home devices into one management system. Battery life is solid too - SwitchBot says the rechargeable battery can last six months on a single charge, with an additional backup battery that stays good for up to five years. That's the kind of staying power you actually need in a lock.
SwitchBot is releasing two versions. The base Lock Vision model gives you facial recognition, passcodes, app control, geofenced auto-unlocking (your door unlocks when you approach), NFC card access, and a physical key as a fallback. If you want to go all-in on biometrics, the Lock Vision Pro adds fingerprint scanning and contactless palm-vein recognition. Both versions support the same range of unlock methods, so the Pro is really about giving you more biometric options.
