Aqara’s Home Key-ready smart lock is cheaper during the Big Spring Sale

There are so many great smart locks out there. But one of best models that iPhone owners should consider buying now is Aqara’s U400, which offers hands-free unlocking when you get close enough. It has Apple’s U1 ultra-wideband chip integrated to authenticate you and unlock the door hands-free, so all that you have to do is open the door when you get home. This smart lock is discounted for the first time during the Big Spring Sale, costing $229.49 (originally $269.99) at Amazon.

As our reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy put it in her hands-on impressions with the U400, hands-free unlocking isn’t new — but this is the most reliable implementation she’s tried yet. Apple’s Home Key relies on a mix of Bluetooth and UWB to connect and authenticate, and you don’t need an extra app.

In addition to using Home Key, you can unlock the U400 with a code on its touchscreen keypad, through a registered fingerprint, or with a regular ol’ key. This is a Matter-over-Thread lock, and it works with your choice of smart home ecosystems. You’ll just need a Thread border router (recent Apple TV models, the second-gen HomePod, and the HomePod Mini are just a few examples of border routers at varying prices) to let your devices communicate over Thread instead of purely over Wi-Fi, saving the doorbell’s battery along the way.