Best Universal Remote: In Depth Review and Buyers Guide

Price: $189.00 | Read Full Review: Logitech Harmony Ultimate Review | Length: 7.3 inches | Touch Screen Control: Yes

WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Easy setup, smartphone compatible, easy to use. Done.

Update: While Amazon notes that this product has been discontinued it’s still in stock. In fact, it’s the best deal you can now get from Logitech, as it includes both the remote and the Hub and costs just $189. Conversely, Logitech’s website offers its higher end remote and hub for $298, which is likely over kill for most people.

The remote itself has a touch screen, which greatly simplifies controlling your devices. You can touch a command on the screen, such as “watch TV,” and the Harmony Ultimate will automatically find the devices that operate your television and turn them on.

The Harmony Hub (right side of the above picture and included with this remote kit), provides an infrared repeater, as well as Bluetooth capabilities. You’ll be able to control smart home devices with the Wi-Fi connected Harmony Hub through your mobile device after you download the Harmony app. You won’t be able to fully use the Hub’s feature unless you download the app.

While it’s nice to be able to use a smartphone app for your remote control, you won’t have tactile feedback, as you would with a traditional remote. And running the remote through a smartphone app and Wi-Fi will cause slower responses than using a traditional remote with IR.

While techinically this isn't a remote control per se, the Harmony HUB with smartphone app can most certainly fill the void. The app will never be as fast as a physical remote, so keep that in mind. 

Also, a small drawback, compared to the above #1 pick, is that this option is virtually limited to just 8 devices. Which is to say, it could be 15, but Logitech chose 8 such that you opt for the above device. 

Take note that this remote is limited to just 8 devices. But with it comes the Harmony HUB, which means you can control devices behind a cabinet door or without line of sight. It also works with Alexa and Google Home.

Included is the rechargeable battery as well as an IR mini blaster. Beyond controlling your home theater, it will also control your smarthome, though we recommend integrating some voice control to use the macros.

Price: $9.12 | Length: 7 inches | Touch Screen Control: No

The button layout on the GE Universal Remote makes a lot of sense, and GE makes it really easy to set up the remote with all your devices and program all of the relevant buttons.

The remote’s buttons are back lit, and the lights activate as soon as you pick up the unit, which is a great feature, as it allows you to see the buttons in the dark. The main drawbacks to the GE Universal Remote are its lack of RF capabilities and that it doesn’t use a rechargeable battery, but those are minor problems when you consider the low price of this universal remote.

Even though it has been on the market for a few years, the GE Universal Remote represents a great mix of strong features and value, making it the best universal remote option available.

Price: $299.99 | Length: 7.56 inches | Touch Screen Control: Yes

As with the other Logitech units listed above, the Harmony Elite includes the Harmony Hub, which manages the connection with smart home devices, such as a a smart thermostat or lights. And the Hub allows you to use a smartphone app to control your devices.

Like the Harmony Ultimate discussed earlier, the Harmony Elite remote has a touch screen, which allows you to touch a simple command on the screen such as “watch TV” to activate all associated devices. You can use the touch screen to change channels or adjust volume too, or you can use the traditional remote control buttons on the lower half of the device.

Price: $59.99 | Length: 7.25 inches | Touch Screen Control: No (but you can pair this remote with a smartphone through an app)

WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: An affordable smart remote you can pair with smartphone app.

The physical universal remote with the Harmony Ultimate is pretty basic, not offering as many buttons as some other units or any display screen option, but it will perform the majority of tasks you need. When you’re ready to gain more control, you’ll download the Harmony app to your smartphone.

It would have been nice if Logitech had given the physical remote’s buttons a back light, so you could easily see the buttons in the dark. But this is still a good value for those who have smart appliances they want to control, as you’ll save some money with this unit, primarily because of the lack of a touch screen on the physical remote.