I tried a smart showerhead and completely upgraded my shower

If you’re still manually adjusting your shower temperature and pressure every morning, we have good news: The future is here. It’s time to bring your showerhead into the 21st Century.

The Hai Smart Showerhead remedies the problem of constantly adjusting your shower settings. It uses smart technology to give a spa-like experience and turn an ordinary bathroom into a veritable shrine to self-care, while tracking energy and water use.

But is it worth the extra money? As a tech editor and shower enthusiast, I jumped at the chance to write a review of the Hai Showerhead. Here’s what I learned.

What is a Smart Showerhead?

The Hai Showerhead claims to be a replacement for the typical showerhead that came with your bathroom, whether you’re renting an apartment or own a house. It’s an eco-friendly shower (especially if you choose the 1.8 gallon a minute option instead of the 2.5 gallon a minute option) fixture that’s extremely easy to install. It’s powered by Bluetooth and loaded with ways to customize your shower to your specific preferences.

When I first unpackaged the showerhead, I encountered the kind of clean minimalism the Hai website and brand are known for. The showerhead was neatly presented behind two cardboard flaps, and looked much different than showerheads I used before.

According to Hai, the showerhead offsets its carbon over its lifetime, helping you use less water. The app does track your water and energy use, so you can see when to cut back on long, hot showers. But staying green is really up to you.

Thanks to custom LED alerts, the smart showerhead lets you know when the water reaches the temperature you want, and keeps track of regular usage. No more standing next to a running shower, sticking your hand under the spray every few seconds.

It offers more coverage than the average showerhead and includes a spray controller slider to adjust the way the water falls on your body. It also features a durable stainless steel frame and a sleek, smooth hose with no grooves, making it easier to clean.

I received the moon shade, a stark white color, in the WaterSense 1.8 gallon per minute flow option to conserve more water. It was simple to remove from its utilitarian packaging and get to the good part — taking a shower.

Installing the Hai Smart Showerhead

When crafting my Hai Smart Showerhead review, it tried to use it the way I typically shower. During my one-month test, I also recruited the opinion of my fiancé. He’s extremely picky about water temperature, water flow and ease of use when showering, even moreso than I am. He’s usually the go-to person for all things bathroom maintenance, like setting up our bidet.

But to test the smart showerhead, I decided to take a whirl and see if it it’s really as easy as the packaging and instructions implied.

I’m happy to report that setup was incredibly simple, especially since I’ve replaced an original showerhead before. When I first moved into my apartment, the decrepit showerhead had to go, and it was a nightmare to remove and add the new fixture.

In comparison, installing the Hai was a breeze. It required virtually zero tools, as promised. It was up and running in about 20 minutes, including the app setup. And once that was done, it was time for a test drive shower.

All About Testing the Hai Smart Showerhead

Since this is smart technology, it takes an app to operate. I used the app to set a daily shower temperature at 95 degrees. We have a small water heater and typically waste water gauging the temperature. This is especially true in the winter when it’s pure torture to jump in a lukewarm shower.

The app was ridiculously easy to use and relatively foolproof. It keeps track of the data you save, like your water usage.

Stepping into the perfect temperature shower was like walking into a steamy sauna. It was clear that the new showerhead had much more to offer than the one I’d been using.

Standing under the perfect temperature of water with a gentle (or stronger) stream and the jets made me feel like I was at a hotel or a resort. The gorgeous white of the showerhead added to the aesthetic factor. I loved every moment of standing under such a luxe stream of water.

My only real concern with the Hai Smart Showerhead arose from the difficulty wrangling the hose compared to the third-party showerhead I installed eight years ago. There was no way I was going to go without a handheld showerhead.

I also found that, while I appreciated the wider area the Hai offered, I didn’t like it as much with the handheld option and preferred the thinner stream and precision from my older showerhead. Both were small concerns, however, because the Hai’s plusses far outweighed those minor issues.

Pros:

• Easy to install and use within 20 minutes;
• Attractive design looks chic;
• App-controlled settings for temperature and water usage tracking;
• Notifies you when your shower is ready;
• Simple to clean after use;
• Luxurious, spa-like jets.

Cons:

• More expensive than a regular showerhead;
• Must have a smartphone to use the app;
• Hose can become unwieldy as a handheld shower attachment.

Final Verdict on the Hai Smart Showerhead

The Hai Smart Showerhead transformed for my shower. It reduced shower waiting time and started making personal time in the bathroom a lot more relaxing. I’d absolutely count it as one of the best smart home devices I’ve added to my collection over the years, and that includes voice assistants and video doorbells.

Despite a couple of shortcomings, the Hai Smart Showerhead comes with my highest recommendation, especially if you’ve had it with the boring, tired old showerhead you got when you first moved in. Whether you’re eco-conscious and want to make a difference in your water consumption footprint, or you just want to change showering from something you dread to something you enjoy, the Hai Smart Showerhead fits the bill.

You might even decide to pair it with other smart home gadgets to make this a must-have part of your smart home setup. I can envision a routine where you get the shower up to temperature, turn on your favorite tunes with a smart assistant and set the thermostat accordingly so you don’t freeze when you get out of the shower.

Where to Buy the Hai Smart Showerhead

Ready to upgrade your shower experience? You can purchase the Hai Smart Showerhead via the official Hai website for $249.99. It’s also available for the same price at Bed Bath & Beyond. Choose from six colors: charcoal, moon, surf, persimmon, citron and rose quartz.

If you’re looking to save water, opt for the regular flow model or the Water Sense option. The former allows 2.5 gallons of water per minute for your shower, and the latter 1.8 gallons.

And, as it turned out, it quickly became one of the best smart showers I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking. It’s absolutely up there as one of the best showerheads. We truly are living in the future.

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