Sevenhugs introduces new Smart Remote U and Smart Remote X for universal control of smart homes

What you need to know

• Both remotes control 650,000+ TV, AV, and smart home devices.

• The Smart Remote X can detect devices as you point at them.

• Available now at Best Buy & sevenhugs.com. Coming soon to Amazon.

Sevenhugs — you'll recall our review of their first universal remote — has announced two updated Smart Remote controls — the Smart Remote X and Smart Remote U. These touchscreen universal remotes focus on a customizable interface and wide device support.

Both the Sevenhugs Smart Remote X and Smart Remote U support controls for over 650,000 devices, including TVs, AV equipment, smart home devices, and streaming boxes like Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV. The remotes pull this off by Bluetooth, infrared and WiFi to control each device in the best way possible. Each Smart Remote can command up to 80 devices, which should be enough for almost everyone.

The Smart Remote X also uses positional technology called Point Mode. The technology can detect which smart device the remote is pointing towards using sensors that owners place around their home. The goal is to update the digital remote screen as you move the remote through contextual awareness. This sounds like a cool idea, and it will be interesting to see how it handles tight entertainment centers.

Sevenhugs' original Smart Remote was a crowdsourced endeavor, but these new ones are going to be available in familiar retail stores. They are available in Best Buy stores, BestBuy.com, and at sevenhugs.com now, and Amazon availability is coming later. The Smart Remote X with point mode is $299 — same as the original model — and the Smart Remote U is a slightly more palatable $199.

Sevenhugs Home Platform Simplifies the Modern Home with New Line of Smart Remotes

Easily access entertainment and smart home devices seamlessly with a single remote.

SAN FRANCISCO – July 29, 2019 – Sevenhugs, a company creating solutions to unify the digital home, has announced its latest line of smart remotes, the Smart Remote U and Smart Remote X, available today. Sevenhugs emerged from its successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016 where it acquired over $1M in backing after introducing concepts for Smart Remote and its innovative platform, unifying home technology within a single adaptive interface. With national retail and online distribution secured for both new models, Sevenhugs aims to dramatically simplify the modern home and end fragmentation caused by an increased number of systems required to control connected products and services. Both remotes are compatible with hundreds of thousands of infrared, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled devices to finally bridge the gap between entertainment, smart home devices and on-demand services with one central solution. "Our homes are becoming increasingly more digitized. The way we live, eat, shop and consume entertainment is different than just five years ago, and it has transformed our traditional homes into fragmented digital spaces," said Simon Tchedikian, CEO and Co-Founder of Sevenhugs. "Our smart remotes were created to bridge the gap between devices and apps to provide a unified, seamless experience and bring control back to the user through a single, powerful device."

Smart Remote U and Smart Remote X are compatible with over 650,000 entertainment and smart home devices from TVs, Bluetooth speakers, audio receivers and smart plugs to Spotify Connect, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon TV and more. Both remotes use infrared, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology giving users endless ways to connect with their home tech.

The Smart Remote X is the world's first and only remote control that leverages Contextual Awareness. Consumers can use Sevenhugs' Point Mode feature to automatically display the right controls for any device by simply pointing at it. By using a precise indoor-positioning system, the Smart Remote X has the unique ability to know where every device in a room is physically located.

Using an intuitive touchscreen and an adaptive, patented UI, both smart remotes make it easy to navigate across several devices with a simple swipe so everyone in the home can easily access and enjoy the technology around them. Consumers can easily set up multiple Sevenhugs Smart Remotes, configure new devices and personalize their Smart Remote with custom user interfaces using the Smart Remote app for iOS and Android. For users looking to combine devices and services together, the Smart Remote app also allows them to configure TV and Home scenes for control of multiple AV and smart home devices with a single tap. All these features allow users to spend less time figuring out complicated controls and more time to connect with each other.

The Smart Remote X, available in Black or White, and Smart Remote U, available in Black, both feature a sleek, award-winning design with modern finish that fits perfectly in the palm of a user's hand.

Smart Remote U and Smart Remote X Features

  • Unified TV and Smart Home Control
  • Compatible with over 650,000 devices
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and infrared control
  • Control up to 80 devices (20 infrared) with a single remote
  • One-touch automation (TV Scenes and Home Scenes)
  • Fully customizable control screens
  • Infrared learning
  • Smart Remote X only: Point Mode experience and indoor positioning system

Availability and Pricing

The Smart Remote X with Point Mode is available for purchase on Sevenhugs.com and Best Buy (in select stores and online) for $299.99. The Smart Remote U is also available for purchase on Sevenhugs.com and at all U.S. Best Buy locations and BestBuy.com for $199.99. Sevenhugs smart remotes will also be available through Amazon in the coming months. For more information, please visit www.sevenhugs.com.

Roy Delgado is a freelance writer for WhatToWatch. His focus is streaming, specializing on sports. He binge-streams 32 games over the first two days of NCAA March Madness annually. He built his own DVR 15 years ago, and still tinkers to make his media setup its best.