My best guess is that the temp range will not change since smoking is a low and slow process. However, as a few others have done on the models 2 and 3 with the separate Auber, they tweaked it for a higher temp. Whether that will be feasible with the controller built in, who knows. Tony may chime in later as he works closely with Steve so he may have an answer. Since he has the 3D, he also may be able to verify the upper temp limit. As for pricing, Steve has always kept prices as low as possible for the quality he provides. Time will tell.