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I love my Apple TV remote. If you just have a TV and an Apple TV with HDMI CEC turned on, a single remote is often all you need. You press one button, and everything powers up.
But my living room setup is a lot messier. I have a Denon receiver, a PS5, a Nintendo Switch, an Xbox Series S, an Apple TV, and a high-end Kaleidescape movie player. When you have this much gear, relying on HDMI CEC becomes a nightmare. The Apple TV aggressively hijacks the input when the kids try to play Xbox. The TV gets left on. Switching between consoles becomes a frustrating chore.
That is why I went looking for a real universal remote. As a former Logitech Harmony user, I needed a modern replacement. I landed on the Sofabaton X2, and it actually lives up to the hype.
Inside the box, you get the X2 remote itself, a hub featuring two ports for IR blasters, two power bricks, and USB-A to USB-C cables. You also get a slick wireless charging base for the remote. If you prefer, you can skip the base and plug a USB-C cable straight into the bottom of the remote to charge it.
The hardware feels like a cross between a Panasonic home phone and a modern smart remote. It has a nice metal finish with black clicky buttons that feel great to press. The back is covered in a soft, leather-like material. At the top, there is a two-inch color touchscreen where you access your device list and macros. It is a bit long compared to an Apple TV remote, requiring you to shift your grip to reach the top screen, but it is comfortable enough for daily use.
The brain of the operation is the Sofabaton app. The interface feels a bit dated, but it gets the job done perfectly well. You start by tapping the plus icon to add your devices.
You can add equipment via IR, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. The Bluetooth connection works great for the Apple TV. The Wi-Fi control is surprisingly robust, letting you connect to devices like Roku, Philips Hue, Sonos, LIFX, Govee lights, and Denon receivers directly over your network.
For traditional IR devices, you can search their massive database or teach the hub using your original remote. The best part is the user-shared code repository at the bottom of the search results. My $3,000 Kaleidescape player does not come with a remote in the box, but another user had already uploaded the exact profile for the Strato E model. I downloaded the programming, added it to the hub, and it worked instantly.
Once your devices are added, you head over to the activities tab. Here, you create macros like "Watch Apple TV" or "Play PS5". You can program exactly which devices power on, which inputs change, and assign specific remote buttons to control different devices simultaneously. In my setup, the directional pad controls the Apple TV, while the volume buttons talk directly to the Denon receiver.
The real magic happens when you connect the X2 to your broader smart home. Sofabaton has promised Matter support for a while, but it is not live yet. However, the Google Home integration works beautifully.
In the Google Home app, you go to Works with Google and link your Sofabaton account. From there, you can build automations using voice commands. I created a "Start Family Movie" routine. When I speak to my Google speaker, it triggers the Sofabaton activity to turn on the TV, receiver, and Apple TV, while simultaneously turning off my Lutron room lights and powering up the Philips Hue gradient strip behind the TV.
You can also use simple commands like "Turn off TV" to shut the entire entertainment center down using just your voice. If you prefer to get really nerdy, the hub also supports Home Assistant integration and direct IP control.
There is a hacky way to use Apple Shortcuts, though it is currently quite buggy.
In theory, running that shortcut triggers the macro. In practice, it frequently throws a JSON error code. Curiously, pasting that exact same URL into a Safari browser window executes the command perfectly. You might need to tweak your shortcut with a browser expectation or wait action to get it working consistently.
If your living room consists of a TV and a single streaming box, you absolutely do not need this. Your factory remote is fine.
But if you are managing gaming consoles, an audio receiver, smart lights, and disc players, the Sofabaton X2 is easily one of the best universal remotes you can buy today. It fills the massive void left by the discontinuation of the Logitech Harmony line. Once you spend an hour dialing in your activities and linking it to your smart speakers, it makes controlling a complex home theater effortlessly simple.