Aqara’s Smart Lock Showdown: U300 vs U200

For years, the dream of the truly keyless future has felt just out of reach. We’ve had keypad locks, Bluetooth-enabled deadbolts, and a whole menagerie of smart home gadgets that promised to rid us of the jangling metal in our pockets. But most of them have been clumsy and unreliable.

Now, Aqara, a company that has been quietly building a formidable smart home ecosystem, has dropped two of the most compelling arguments yet for ditching your keys: the Smart Lock U300 and the Smart Lock U200. Both are packed with next-generation technology like Matter, Thread, and, most importantly, Apple Home Key support. This isn’t just about unlocking your door with your phone; it’s about tapping your Apple Watch like you’re paying for a coffee and having your front door magically unlatch. It’s the seamless, futuristic experience we were promised.

But here’s the twist: these two locks, from the same company, represent a fundamental disagreement about how we should upgrade our homes. The U300 is a full-replacement lever lock, a beautiful, integrated piece of hardware that demands you rip out your old lock and commit to a new one. The U200, on the other hand, is a retrofit lock, a clever gadget that works with the deadbolt you already have.

So, which vision of the keyless future is the right one? The all-in, tear-it-all-out approach, or the clever, works-with-what-you’ve-got solution? I’ve spent the last few weeks with both, and the answer is, as with all the best tech, complicated.

But before we dive into the specifics, a crucial caveat: both of these locks are unapologetically modern. They are designed for the standardized doors of the last few decades. If you live in an older home with character-filled, but non-standard, doors, you might be in for a rude awakening. In my own testing, two older doors in my house, whose age I can only guess, were simply too thin to accommodate either lock. It’s a reminder that the smart home revolution sometimes forgets that not all homes were built in this century. So, before you get swept up in the dream of a keyless life, grab a tape measure and check your door’s thickness against Aqara’s specs.

Aqara Smart Lock U300: The Integrated Powerhouse

The Aqara U300 is, at first glance, a stunning piece of hardware. It’s a sleek, minimalist lever lock that feels substantial and premium in your hand. The black finish on my review unit is understated and modern, and the fingerprint reader is cleverly integrated into the handle, right where your thumb naturally rests. This is a lock that doesn’t scream “I’m a smart lock!”; it just looks like a very nice, very modern door handle.

But beneath that unassuming exterior is a beast of a smart lock. It has a keypad that lights up when you approach, an NFC reader for tapping your phone or an NFC card, a hidden physical key slot for emergencies (like our -40 degree winters), and, of course, the full suite of smart home integrations. It runs on four AA batteries, which Aqara claims will last up to 10 months, and it connects to your smart home via Thread, the low-power mesh network that’s a cornerstone of the new Matter standard.

GOOD STUFF

• Blazing-fast fingerprint reader
• Seamless Apple Home Key integration
• Beautiful, integrated design
• Matter and Thread support

BAD STUFF

• Installation can be a nightmare
• Physical key is an afterthought
• Requires a compatible door setup

The installation, however, is where the U300’s integrated beauty can become a major headache. Unlike a simple deadbolt, the U300 is a complete lockset, and it has specific requirements for your door’s bore hole size and backset. My door, which has accommodated countless locks over the years, required me to take a drill and a chisel to it to get the U300 to fit. The included manual is sparse, and I found myself relying on YouTube videos to figure out the finer points of the installation. This is not a project for the faint of heart, and if you’re not comfortable with some light carpentry, you’ll want to factor in the cost of a locksmith.

Once it’s installed, though, the U300 is a dream. The fingerprint reader is almost instantaneous, and the Apple Home Key support is a game-changer. Being able to just tap my watch to the lock and have it open is the kind of seamless convenience that makes you wonder how you ever lived with keys. The keypad is responsive, and the ability to set temporary codes for guests is a must-have feature for any smart lock.

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The U300 is the lock for the smart home maximalist, the person who wants the most integrated, most feature-rich experience and is willing to put in the work (or money) to get it. It’s a commitment, but it’s one that pays off in a truly futuristic front door experience.

Aqara Smart Lock U200: The Clever Retrofit

If the U300 is the all-in, no-compromise option, the U200 is the pragmatic, accessible choice. It’s a retrofit lock, which means it installs on the inside of your door, over your existing deadbolt. This is a huge advantage for renters, or for anyone who doesn’t want to replace their existing keys and hardware.

The U200 consists of two parts: the interior lock mechanism and a separate wireless keypad. The interior unit is a bit bulky, a plastic box that houses the motor and a rechargeable battery. It’s not as elegant as the U300’s integrated design, but it’s functional and mostly out of sight.

The real star of the show is the keypad. It’s a slim, weatherproof unit that you can mount anywhere near your door. It has a fingerprint reader, a numeric keypad, and an NFC reader. It’s powered by four AAA batteries, but it can also be wired into your existing doorbell wiring, which is a clever touch.

GOOD STUFF

• Easy, non-destructive installation
• Apple Home Key in a retrofit lock
• Versatile keypad can be placed anywhere
• Renter-friendly

BAD STUFF

• Bulky interior design
• Noisy motor
• App can be clunky
• Hard to predict if it can survive the Canadian winter

The installation of the U200 is a breeze compared to the U300. You just remove the interior thumbturn from your existing deadbolt, mount the U200’s backplate, and attach the main unit. The whole process takes about 15 minutes, and you don’t have to make any permanent modifications to your door.

In daily use, the U200 delivers on its promises. It supports Apple Home Key, so you get that same tap-to-unlock magic as the U300. The fingerprint reader on the keypad is fast and accurate, and the keypad itself is responsive. The motor is noticeably louder than the U300’s, a distinct whirring sound that reminds you of the mechanical action happening inside the boxy interior unit. One thing worries me: the performance in winter. The company’s website laughably claims resilience in “extreme weather,” yet defines this as merely -15 degrees Celsius. Such a low benchmark for “extreme” raises serious doubts about its capabilities in genuinely harsh conditions.

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The U200 is the smart lock for the rest of us. It’s for the renter who can’t replace their lock, the homeowner who wants to dip their toes into the smart home without a major commitment, and anyone who values a simple, non-destructive installation. It’s not as pretty as the U300, but it brings the most important features of the high-end smart lock experience to a much more accessible package.

The Verdict: Two Paths to a Keyless Future

So, which Aqara lock is the winner? The truth is, there isn’t one. The U300 and U200 are both excellent smart locks, but they’re for two different people.

The Aqara Smart Lock U300 is the future, today. It’s the lock you get when you want the most seamless, integrated, and aesthetically pleasing smart lock experience possible. It’s a commitment, both in terms of installation and price, but it’s a commitment that pays off with a truly next-generation front door. If you’re a homeowner who’s all-in on the smart home, and you’re not afraid of a little DIY, the U300 is the lock to get.

The Aqara Smart Lock U200 is the bridge to that future. It’s the lock that brings the best features of the high-end smart lock world – Apple Home Key, Matter, Thread – to a package that’s accessible to almost everyone. It’s for the renter, the tinkerer, the person who wants to try out the keyless life without going all-in. Not as elegant as the U300, but it’s a clever, pragmatic solution that gets the job done.

Ultimately, the choice between the U300 and the U200 comes down to a single question: how much are you willing to change to get rid of your keys? Do you want to rip out the old and embrace the new, or do you want to cleverly augment what you already have? Either way, Aqara has a lock for you.