Back at CES, we previewed the Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant. The Lenovo Smart Clock is a Smart Display designed especially for the bedroom.
When it comes to privacy, having a smart display in the bedroom can be a serious concern. Fortunately, the Lenovo Smart Clock lacks a camera altogether, and its far field microphone can be switched off using a dedicated switch on the backside of the device.
The Smart Clock packs in a 4-inch IPS touchscreen display that is covered in a grey soft touch cloth. It also has a built-in ambient light sensor that will automatically dim the display according to the lighting in your room. Its design struts some dedicated volume controls, along with a USB 2.0 charger that you can use to conveniently charge your phone.
Inside the Smart Clock are two 3-watt speakers with two passive radiators. Audio coming from the smart clock sounds distinct, clear, and quite powerful. To that effect, the volume is able to get quite loud and it should be more than adequate for most bedroom sizes. That said, while it does fine for listening to the news or watching a YouTube video, when it comes to listening to music, the clock sounds tinny, making it no replacement for a serious speaker system.
Fortunately, unlike the Lenovo Smart Tab P10 with Alexa that we recently tested, setting up the Lenovo Smart Clock is a simple and quick process. That is because the Smart Clock works like any typical Google Assistant smart display. It can be used to control your smart home, used to listen to music, manage your calendar, check the weather, preview your commute, and schedule alarms.
In particular, Lenovo actually designed the Smart Clock to help you reduce your smartphone usage at night. Thanks to Good Night routines you can do things like set the alarm clock to automatically play music, dim the lights and lock the doors – all without lifting a finger, or lifting your smartphone. Likewise, Good Morning routines allow you to automatically trigger whatever customized actions you’d like.
With all of that said, we’re a little disappointed that there is only a few various clock faces to choose from on the Smart Clock, and they are kind of dull, but we’re nitpicking. Besides, being able to wake up to the weather, music, and having the lights turn on all without lifting a finger… that’s priceless.
Echo Show 5 vs Lenovo Smart Clock
While testing our review unit, Amazon announced the Echo Show 5 which uncannily resembles Lenovo’s Smart Clock. While we can’t be certain who copied who, it certainly seems like Amazon took design cues from Lenovo. Of course, Amazon’s own bedside smart display features Alexa as opposed to Google Assistant. The other significant difference between the two is that the Echo Show 5 features a slightly larger 5.5-inch display with a 960 x 480 resolution, and it comes with a built-in camera and a single 4W speaker. The Echo Show is priced at $89.99 and will be available later in June.
Bottom Line
We appreciate that the Lenovo Smart Clock is priced to be more affordable than most Smart Displays and that it lacks a camera for better privacy. All in all, the Lenovo Smart Clock truly is the modern day alarm clock and you’ll enjoy having it on your bedside. You can pick up the Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Alexa for $79.99.