Review: Level Lock Pro

Most smart locks are pretty easy to spot. Many models have a keypad on the front, which makes it easy to plug in a code, but this also makes it obvious that the lock runs on Wi-Fi and battery power. Even if the front is discreet, the back is usually bulky, housing battery packs or four AA batteries on top of the dial to control the lock. It's not a huge issue, but it's certainly not stylish or pretty to look at.

Level has designed its smart locks with style and secrecy in mind. The company first came to fame for the Level Bolt in 2020, which can be installed with just about any existing lock, turning your existing deadbolt smart without needing new hardware (or a new key). The company also created the Level Lock in 2021, a smart lock that includes its own exterior housing (plus a Matter version that released last year), and then released the newly discontinued Lock+ in 2022. The Lock Pro is the brand's newest iteration, which replaced the Lock+ last fall. It promised nearly a year of battery life, the ability to sense whether your door is open or closed without additional accessories, and a new chipset for better performance.

After a couple of months of living with the Lock Pro, I've found that the battery life and performance have held up, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite smart locks ever. The sleek design packs in all the features I want while leaving behind the bulk. The Lock Pro is a bigger investment than other smart locks, but with its stylish design, it's worth the upgrade. It's even better paired with Level's Keypad ($79), so you don't have to fumble with the app, and the Level Connect Wi-Fi Bridge ($79) for Wi-Fi connection.

Hidden Smarts

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Looking at this lock, you have to wonder how it's smart. Or, rather, where those smarts are. The Level Lock Pro has a diameter of only about 2.5 inches at its widest point, the back is just the dial, and the front only protrudes forward an inch. Meanwhile, most other locks I've tested have bulky, 4-inch-thick plates on each side, packed with a myriad of wires and batteries.

But this lock's interior deadbolt manages to hold an impressive amount of technology. There's a new dual-core chipset that has a ton of compatibility and unlocking options, including Matter and NFC tags, and the dual core means it can run Bluetooth and Matter on separate cores. It's also compatible with Apple Home Key, along with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. It's quick and responsive when I use the app to unlock it, though my go-to unlocking method is usually the optional Level Keypad ($79) (the lock otherwise does not come with a keypad), which connects to the lock via Bluetooth. The lock responds instantly when I enter the code on the pad, which I have installed on my door frame.

ScreenshotLevel via Nena Farrell

ScreenshotLevel via Nena Farrell

The Level Lock Pro can also sense if the door is open or closed without needing any additional accessories. It uses a magnetometer to sense the closed door placement, and you'll calibrate it once when you set it up. It's worked well for me, though it did have a weird week where it claimed my door was open when it wasn't. While the magnetometer is supposed to use the Earth's gravity field, I was able to fix the open door issue by readjusting my strike plate on the doorjamb, which had gotten lose and ended up at a weird angle. (Installing and removing so many smart locks has left my doorjamb and its screw holes worse for wear, to say the least, so this isn't normally an issue people should run into.)

The app is also easy to use and easy on the eyes. It's a very pretty interface, with customizable wallpaper and immediate confirmation if your door is locked or unlocked. You'll click the three dots in the corner for your device to see the Settings, Sharing, and Activity options, which you can click into to adjust the various settings, create different access codes, and see when your door was opened and by whom. It synced easily and immediately to my Amazon Alexa ecosystem, and I can ask Alexa if the door is locked and to lock it. Alexa can't unlock it by default, but you can go into the Alexa app to toggle this on. I've opted not to; nobody needs to be able to voice-command my front door open.

Power Play

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Unlike other smart locks that use bulky battery packs or several AA batteries, the Level Lock Pro uses a single CR2 lithium battery. The lock comes with a nonrechargeable CR2 battery made by Level, but you can replace it with any CR2 battery once it runs out. It's the same battery the brand has been using with its earlier locks, but the Lock Pro is designed to make better use of it so it lasts longer. Where the previous Lock+ had about six months of battery life, the Level Lock Pro is expected to get about a year of battery life from a single CR2 battery.

What Level changed to make this possible was how often the lock draws power from the battery, and making those uses of power more efficient. There's now a proximity sensor in the front of the lock so that it won't wake up the NFC and Bluetooth unless someone is actually approaching, creating less drain on the battery than when it would sit around being available for no one.

The one thing it doesn't have the power to do, at least on its own, is connect to Wi-Fi. For that, you'll need Level's Connect Wi-Fi Bridge ($79) so the lock can connect to it via Bluetooth to access Wi-Fi. To do that, you'll need an available outlet close to your door. It's a pretty big must to be able to fully remotely control the lock, and it will require an extra spend.

Curb Appeal

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The Level Lock Pro's biggest appeal is how stylish and discreet it is for a smart lock; its low profile makes for a beautiful door. It's a nice finish too; I have the matte black, which matches my black door handle so nicely that you'd never guess it's not the lock it came with (besides the paint lines that reveal the larger smart lock it had originally). There's also a satin nickel finish option. I wish it came in more finishes like the cheaper Level Lock, though, which also offers satin chrome and polished brass. Still, it's an ideal choice for anyone who wants something smart but still design-forward.

The optional keypad also adds to the high-end feel with its sleek buttons and matte finish. However, the matte keypad does show fingerprints after a handful of uses, so I've had to remember to wipe it off to keep my code from being guessable based on the four numbers I use.