Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, It’s an easier form-over-function trade to make, but there may still be dealbreakers for some.

What are you willing to give up for aesthetics? That’s the question when it comes to the Level Lock Pro , a premium, Matter-compatible smart lock that, from the outside, is nearly indistinguishable from a boring old physical key-only deadbolt. (shocking, we know)

It’s a smart lock for people who don’t want it to look like they have a smart lock.

The Details

The Lock Pro is a higher-end version of the Level Lock , a sneaky smart lock that’s meant to look nicer on your door than your typically blocky, often out-of-place smart lock—to that end, Level even sells pricey matching knobs and levers . Hidden inside the Lock Pro is a motor to extend and retract its bolt, radios for Bluetooth and Thread, a speaker, and even a battery that the company says will keep the lock going for up to a year.

Yet the Lock Pro isn’t as big a step up from the Lock Plus , the company’s previous high-end smart lock, which it no longer sells. Both locks use Apple’s Home Key, support key fobs and key cards, work with Matter—and so any major smart home platform—and offer automatic locking and unlocking features.

Why This Matters

The main differences are two: the Lock Pro has door status detection and can sense whether your door is open or closed, and it features a more powerful dual-core processor that Level says gives it better performance than previous locks, including the Lock Plus. 4 Level Lock Pro The Level Lock Pro is a fast, functional alternative for those who fr hate the way smart locks look. Pros Premium look and feel Doesn’t look like a smart lock Responsive Clever locking and unlocking options Works with Apple Home Key Easy to install Cons Home Key can be sluggish Few phone-free unlocking alternatives No biometric authentication No Aliro support Non-rechargeable battery Pricey See at Amazon I like the Level Lock Pro after several days testing it, but it’s definitely not for everyone thanks to some of its tradeoffs, especially at $349.

This could have major implications for how we use technology going forward.

The Bottom Line

Pros Premium look and feel Doesn’t look like a smart lock Responsive Clever locking and unlocking options Works with Apple Home Key Easy to install Cons Home Key can be sluggish Few phone-free unlocking alternatives No biometric authentication No Aliro support Non-rechargeable battery Pricey See at Amazon I like the Level Lock Pro after several days testing it, but it’s definitely not for everyone thanks to some of its tradeoffs, especially at $349. The lack of biometric authentication stings the most with locks like this.

What do you think about all this?