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June’s newest smart countertop oven only costs $599

June’s newest smart countertop oven only costs $599

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June

You might recall the June oven: an appliance that’s supposed to be smarter than your average oven and much tinier. Today, the company is introducing a second version of the device that costs nearly $1,000 less than the original.

The new model sells for $599 and is also $100 off for a limited time. Much of the price drop came from nixing a knob and built-in scale, as well as optimizing their sourcing and manufacturing. The more interesting part of this new product launch, however, is that it really doesn’t come with any new functionality. Everything you can do with this June oven, you can do with the original because of software updates.

In the two years since the company’s launch, it’s added the ability to air fry, dehydrate, and slow cook. It also now recognizes more than 50 foods with its built-in camera that’ll also let users watch their food as it cooks.

June has plenty of competitors at this point: the Tovala, Brava, and the GE Smart Countertop Oven. But what’s ultimately going to separate these companies is their firmware support — how often they’re updated, how well they recognize foods, and how reliant they are on specific subscription plans. (You don’t need a subscription plan to use the June, although the company does offer one.) It’s neat that your oven can be upgraded over time. It’s just going to be a bummer if you bet on the wrong one and end up with a unsupported, old countertop appliance.