Apple will start selling its own line of cameras, a smart lock and thermostats in December, co-developed with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric and sold as the Apple Home Collection. Prices start at $199.95 for the indoor camera, $349.95 for the lock and $199.95 for either thermostat, in US dollars. Select items slip to early 2027.
The sticker price is not the whole cost. The cameras need a home hub in the house and an iCloud+ plan to keep video history, and Apple says there is no separate camera subscription on top. If you do not already own a compatible hub, the cheapest setup we worked out below is a $348.95 outlay plus a monthly iCloud+ fee.
What each piece starts at
Apple's prices are "starts at" US figures, read from its newsroom release at 1:26 p.m. ET on Oct. 13.
| Product | Starts at (US) | Sold in |
|---|---|---|
| LG Video Doorbell Wired | $249.95 | US, Canada, UK |
| LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In | $299.95 | US, Canada, UK |
| LG Floodlight Cam | $399.95 | US, Canada, UK |
| LG Indoor Cam Plug-In | $199.95 | US, Canada, UK |
| LG Smart Deadbolt Lock | $349.95 | US, Canada |
| LG Smart Thermostat | $199.95 | US, Canada |
| Schneider Home Smart Thermostat | $199.95 | US, Canada |
| LG Temperature Sensor | $39.95 | US, Canada |
| Schneider Home Room Sensor | $39.95 | US, Canada |
Apple says availability begins in December and that select accessories arrive in early 2027. The release does not say which ones.
What one camera really costs
If you have no compatible hub (Apple names HomeView, HomePod, HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K), start with the cheapest in Apple's new lineup, the HomePod mini 2 at $149. Add one LG Indoor Cam at $199.95 and the smallest iCloud+ plan, 50GB at $0.99 a month on Apple's iCloud+ page.
- Hub and camera: $348.95 up front, before tax
- iCloud+ 50GB: $0.99 a month, about $11.88 a year, and it recurs
- First year: about $360.83
That 50GB plan records one camera, per Apple. Apple's footnote says 200GB supports up to five cameras and 2TB unlimited, so upgrades come at those thresholds, and the AI features cap lower still.
| iCloud+ plan | Per month | Cameras recording | AI summaries, per MacRumors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50GB | $0.99 | 1 | Not included |
| 200GB | $2.99 | Up to 5 | Not included |
| 2TB | $9.99 | Unlimited | 1 camera |
| 6TB | $29.99 | Unlimited | 2 cameras |
| 12TB | $59.99 | Unlimited | Up to 5 cameras |
Plan prices and recording limits are Apple's, read at 1:50 p.m. ET. The catch is the last column: MacRumors reported that a 2TB plan covers unlimited cameras for video history but adds AI summaries to only one.
Apple's release says camera history is kept for 10 days, and that features "vary by accessory" and need a compatible hub. Video summaries must be set up on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad; our HomeView explainer covers what works without one.
The HomePod mini 2 launches without Siri AI; Apple says it arrives later in a free software update. More in our event story. HomeView has its own extras, tallied in Apple event extra costs.
How it compares with Ring and Nest
The closest devices we could read on Ring's and Google's own US pages, with the subscription each company sells for history.
| Apple Home Collection | Ring | Google Nest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doorbell | LG Video Doorbell Wired, from $249.95 | Wired Doorbell 4K Pro, $249.99 | Nest Doorbell (battery), $199.99 |
| Indoor camera | LG Indoor Cam, from $199.95 | Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, $59.99 | Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen), $129.99 |
| Subscription | iCloud+ 50GB, $0.99 a month, one camera | Ring Protect Solo, $4.99 a month for one device; Multi, $9.99 for all devices at a location | Google Home Premium Standard, $10 a month, 30 days of event video |
Prices read at 1:50 to 1:51 p.m. ET on Oct. 13 from the linked Ring and Google Store pages. The devices are not like for like: the Ring and LG doorbells are wired, the Nest doorbell is battery powered. Google says the Nest Doorbell includes 3 hours of event history without a subscription.
On sticker price, Ring's indoor camera and Google's doorbell and indoor camera are lower, while Ring's wired doorbell is $0.04 above LG's. Apple's monthly fee for one camera is the lowest, but you pay for a hub too if you do not already own one.
The doorbell and cameras
Hands-on first. The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy saw the cameras installed in Apple's Tribeca demo home and called them "largely unremarkable": not ugly, not showpieces. Apple says every camera records up to 2.5K video, recognizes people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles and packages, and keeps recording when Wi-Fi drops.
The LG Video Doorbell Wired starts at $249.95. It has two cameras, a 2.5K front view and a full HD one aimed down at packages, plus a built-in spotlight. The Verge notes it must be wired into existing doorbell wiring, and says it can ring HomePods as a chime. Apple says it chimes through HomeView, HomePod or HomePod mini.
The LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In starts at $299.95. It has low-light color night vision and can be angled, and Apple pitches it as a simple self-install. The Verge describes it as wired and light-free, in a black version and a silver one; Apple's colour names are Essence Graphite and Essence Silver.
The LG Floodlight Cam starts at $399.95. It is the outdoor camera plus adaptive dual floodlights that switch on when it detects motion, with the same color night vision.
The LG Indoor Cam Plug-In starts at $199.95 and is the odd one out. It tilts up and down, and Apple says it tilts back down to stop monitoring when the first household member returns.
The Verge says the white model looks a bit like a desk lamp, and its hands-on says you can set it to face down when you get home.
The lock
The LG Smart Deadbolt Lock starts at $349.95 and is the headline piece. It unlocks hands-free over Ultra Wideband as you approach, if you have a home key set up on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch, per Apple. The Verge says it is only the third lock on the market to support that. It also has a PIN pad and a hidden key slot.
9to5Mac notes it supports Matter and Aliro, so core access works locally without internet. Apple says it senses open, closed and tampered states. The Verge adds that it takes AA batteries and keeps a physical thumb turn.
The thermostats and sensors
The LG Smart Thermostat is round and starts at $199.95. Adaptive Temperature learns when you are home, and in the contiguous US Clean Energy Guidance can shift heating and cooling to cheaper periods on a compatible utility plan.
The Schneider Home Smart Thermostat is square, also starts at $199.95 and does the same.
The Verge says both work with or without a C-wire, and its hands-on confirms both support Matter. Apple sells C-wire adapters from $24.95 and a Schneider trim plate from $14.95. The $39.95 sensors are sold separately; the thermostats can also read the sensors built into HomeView, HomePod and HomePod mini.
Dates and what Apple has not said
Apple says installation by ADT is available for an additional charge in the US starting this fall, without a price. The Verge says it hopes Apple has solved the install and connectivity problems that plague smart cameras and locks, but it will not know until it tests them. Apple's accessories page lists all nine products under "Coming later".
Our read
This is our judgment, not a hands-on verdict. The lock is the one to look at in December if your household runs on iPhones and you want a door that opens as you walk up. The thermostats are a fair fit if your utility offers a plan Clean Energy Guidance can use; otherwise wait for reviews.
If you already run Ring, Nest or Aqara cameras that work, keep them. Apple's accessories page already lists Aqara cameras for Apple Home, and the Collection cameras add little beyond iCloud+ integration while the AI features are capped at one camera on the 2TB plan.
