Imagine this: you’re juggling groceries, or trying to wrangle an eager toddler, and fumbling for keys feels like a quest. Enter SwitchBot’s newly announced Lock Ultra—a retrofit smart lock that, with the help of the accompanying Keypad Vision, recognizes your face and unlocks your door. Preorders are live now, and shipping kicks off in mid-June.

Unlike all-in-one smart locks that replace your deadbolt, the Lock Ultra tucks neatly behind your existing hardware. It attaches via a mechanical motor to the rear of your lock, so you still have your trusty keys up front. The Keypad Vision, a $99.99 add-on, mounts outside, scanning your face in 3D before sending a Bluetooth “open sesame” signal to the Ultra unit inside. It’s a tidy solution for renters or anyone who doesn’t fancy swapping out their door hardware.

If faces aren’t your thing, the Vision keypad doubles as a fingerprint scanner, numeric keypad, and NFC reader. Enter your code, tap a card, scan your print—or simply let your phone’s geofence auto-unlock as you pull into your driveway. And yes, if all else fails, old-school keys and the SwitchBot mobile app have your back.

Battery anxiety? SwitchBot promises up to nine months on the rechargeable pack, plus a five-year backup battery. When it’s low, the app nudges you to recharge—no more last-minute panic. And because the lock communicates via Bluetooth, you’ll need SwitchBot’s Hub Mini (included in the Vision Combo) or the new Hub 3 to manage it over Wi-Fi.

The Hub 3 ($119.99) is SwitchBot’s boldest hub yet. Gone is the tiny puck; in its place stands an all-black unit with a display, a dial, and four buttons you can program for your favorite scenes—think “Goodnight” to turn off lights and lock the door in one tap. It also senses temperature, humidity, light levels, and motion, waking its display when you approach to show you the house’s status at a glance.

SwitchBot’s ecosystem plays nicely with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home—thanks to Matter support via the Hub 3. That means you can include your Lock Ultra in automations alongside other brands’ Matter-enabled devices. And with support for Home Assistant on the roadmap, DIY tinkerers have a new hub to hack and customize.

In 2024, smart locks were the exception in a smart home market that focused on software over hardware. But momentum is building: facial recognition locks from Lockly, palm-print entry from Philips, and partnerships between ADT, Google Nest, and Yale have reshaped expectations. SwitchBot’s move puts advanced biometrics into the retrofit category, where price points have been falling—you can find connected locks starting around $99 now.

The Lock Ultra retails at $139.99, while the Vision keypad is $99.99. Bundle them (plus the Hub Mini) for $249.99, or grab the Hub 3 alone at $119.99. All three are up for preorder on SwitchBot’s website, with shipments beginning in mid-June. If you’ve been on the fence about dipping a toe into smart-lock waters, this combo might just tip the scales—especially if you fancy letting your front door say “Hello” by name.