LG's first wave of Apple-designed smart home gear just leaked through government paperwork.
FCC filings uncovered by MacRumors show three LG accessories that Apple reportedly helped design for its upcoming home hub: a round thermostat, a coin-battery temperature sensor, and a tall smart deadbolt. The thermostat packs a 60 GHz radar for presence detection and a "Far Sight Display" mode, the sensor uses Bluetooth and Thread to track temperature and humidity, and the lock combines Bluetooth, Thread, NFC, and ultra-wideband to verify a phone's identity before checking its exact position for proximity-based unlocking. These three devices are reportedly just part of a seven-product lineup that also includes a video doorbell and three security cameras, all expected to ship under LG's own brand. Bloomberg first reported the Apple-LG partnership this week, and the filings confirm regulatory and manufacturing details Bloomberg didn't publish.
Apple gets a fast, cheap way to fill out its home ecosystem without building hardware factories, while LG gets to put its name on Apple-grade engineering, the same trade LG already makes supplying UltraFine displays for Macs. It's also a hedge: Apple is separately building its own AI camera and sensor system, still expected in 2027, so leaning on LG lets Apple cover thermostats, locks, and doorbells now while its in-house camera effort keeps cooking.
Call it outsourcing with better industrial design: Apple picks the look and sensors, LG handles assembly and warranty calls.