SwitchBot Hub 3

The SwitchBot Hub 3 is a good example of how brands are shipping “Matter compatibility” without switching every device to Thread. I like that it doubles as a big scene controller with a dial and tons of programmable buttons, and it can expose a bunch of child devices to Apple Home via Matter.

Pros

+Acts as a scene controller with dial and programmable buttons
+Exposes SwitchBot child devices to Apple Home via Matter
+Helps bridge non-Matter devices into a Matter setup

Cons

-Still a hub-based approach instead of native Thread on every device
-Child devices may still rely on Bluetooth/Zigbee behind the scenes

What Make Smart Matter says

“The SwitchBot Hub 3 has a dial and it's a big scene controller with 30 programmable buttons and then 30 child devices exposed to Apple Home via Matter”