Hive, from British Gas, has announced it's finally launching its new compact thermostat: the Hive Thermostat Mini.

The first major update to Hive's platform since 2018, the Hive Thermostat Mini is a wireless wall-mounted thermostat, and although it's smaller, it still looks a lot like the previous Hive. It's less expensive, too. In the UK, the new smart thermostat costs just £119 - and that includes the hub. If you already have a Hive Hub set up, you can get the Hive Thermostat Mini for just £59.

The mini thermostat supports geolocation technology, which means, for the first time, Hive can use your smartphone’s location to determine if you’ve left the heating on when you’re away. It can also pair with the Hive Door Sensor, allowing you to create schedules. You can include members of your household, too, so it can work out whether they're leaving home, too. There is even a Frost Protection mode that turns the heating on when the temperature dips below a certain threshold so the pipes in your home don't freeze and burst.

With the Hive Heating Plus subscription service, which costs £3.99 per month, you can get scheduling recommendations and save up to £10 a month on energy bills, according to Hive. And, yes, you can even control your Hive Mini with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, if you wish.

In other words: this mini Hive thermostat is smart.

Pitched as a cheaper alternative to the original Hive Thermostat, the Hive Thermostat Mini and the new Heating Plus smart scheduling service is now available to buy from Hive's website in the UK.

Keep in mind Hive first announced its new mini thermostat last winter.