Lenovo Smart Clock Review: All You Need To Know
Lenovo Smart Clock Review: For its laptops and smartphones, Lenovo is best known in the world. But it also produces numerous other devices, including tablets and wearables. The company’s newest offering takes Lenovo into an entirely new segment: smart home devices. The Lenovo Smart Clock is priced at Rs. 5,999, and it is a digital clock, as the name implies, which doubles as a smart speaker and monitor. Access to Google Assistant is the explanation for the smart features.
Although the market has a lot of smart speakers, a smart clock is a relatively new idea. This platform competes with the newly released Amazon Echo Show 5, providing the same features as a small-screen voice assistant. We spent some time with the Lenovo Smart Clock, and our analysis is here.
Lenovo Smart Clock Review: Design and Specifications
The Lenovo Smart Clock is very practical in its appearance, resembling the classic flip clocks we’ve seen in movies and TV shows, though we expected more in terms of design from a ‘smart’ computer. The front of the Lenovo Smart Clock is a computer, angled slightly upward for better viewing, being a system you’re going to communicate with.
The top, bottom, and sides are fabric-wrapped for the volume at the top, with only two actual buttons in the form of plus and minus symbols. To hold the unit firmly in place on a tabletop, the bottom has rubber grips. We like the understated and tidy look of the unit overall, with the exterior of the fabric adding a touch of elegance to a product that gets its job done discreetly.
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There is a socket for the included power adapter on the back of the Lenovo Smart Clock, a sliding switch to turn off the microphones, and a USB Type-A port to charge devices such as wireless headphones and smartphones. The official website notes that a power adapter to connect to a wall socket and a USB cable are included in the sales kit, but only the former was in our review unit box.
A 4-inch 800×480-pixel IPS touch screen is available for the Lenovo Smart Clock, which functions as the center of the ‘clock’ experience. A MediaTek 8167S processor is powering the unit, along with a single 3W speaker and two sound passive radiators. The Lenovo Smart Clock supports Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5 for networking.
Lenovo Smart Clock Review: Performance
Although we have mostly only seen Google Assistant on Google’s own smart speakers, such as Google Home and Google Nest Hub, there are a handful of other producers that produce similar devices. Alongside the Smart Clock in India, Lenovo also has the Rs. 14,999 Smart Display available, but the two work differently.
A screen is available for the smaller and more affordable Lenovo Smart Clock, but it does not have the same visual effect as the Lenovo Smart Display or Google Nest Center. The small screen is supposed to act as a clock face for the most part. It also displays the weather, however, and allows you to monitor details and manage media playback as well. You can see navigation directions and photographs from your Google Photos library, too. You can swipe between the clock face, alarm controls, and music (when something is playing) across the screen to loop. And also change the brightness and other settings this way as well.
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All of these screen use cases worked as planned. And as long as we were close enough to the computer, the Lenovo Smart Clock was able to clearly hear and execute voice commands. Of course, other devices connected to your Google Assistant can be regulated as well. And we were able to use ours to turn on a OnePlus TV and a Mi Air Purifier.
The gadget cannot hear and understand voice commands properly from as far away as Google Home can. But it is intended to be used as a tabletop or bedside clock that you can normally use when it is in the immediate vicinity. The system shows the time clearly as a clock. You can select from a handful of interesting and well-designed clock faces.
Lenovo Smart Clock Review: Features
The Lenovo Smart Clock is just like any other Google Assistant smart speaker in terms of features. And can respond to all sorts of questions and follow-ups. Think of this as a Google Home Mini, but with only a few more features than a standard smart speaker offering a tiny display. As such, with its ability to function as a smart speaker and simple smart display, we were pleased.
We had the computer connected to a personal Google account. And using YouTube Music and Spotify, we were able to stream music. There isn’t a very large speaker on the Lenovo Smart Clock, but we were impressed with how loud it was; it was loud enough at the highest volume to be clearly heard in a small room. As such, a bedroom, kitchen, or dining room is acceptable.
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The consistency of the sound was not impressive, and we found that the mid-range was a little too prominent and sharp. This is, of course, so that Google Assistant voice answers can be clearly heard. But it does affect the capacity of the computer to act as a music player.
Of course, because there’s just one speaker, no stereo sound exists. For the occasional music track, the Lenovo Smart Clock might be good. But it’s best not considered if you plan to regularly use the music system.
Lenovo Smart Clock Review: Final Verdict
The Lenovo Smart Clock is best used as a clock with some smart features, just as its name suggests. The implementation of Google Assistant is complete, and beyond displaying the time, the display can be used for a limited range of functions. Although it functions with both streaming media and Bluetooth devices as a speaker, the sound quality is not very good. In our view, it’s also a little pricey for what it provides.
If you’re on the lookout for a new bedside alarm clock, the additional smart features and capabilities it provides beyond being a clock may be worth investing in the Lenovo Smart Clock. It’s a nice way to jump on the bandwagon of smart technology. And even if you don’t use the smart feature a lot, it’s still a digital clock that is practical and good-looking.
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