Lenovo Smart Clock Essential has Google Assistant
- Lenovo introduced the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential speaker, powered by the Google Assistant.
- It shows the time and weather, charges your phone and even has a night light.
- The watch is now available for $ 50 and competes with the Echo Dot.
Update: October 15, 2020 at 12 p.m. ET: If you’ve been waiting for Lenovo’s simple smart clock to sell, now is the time to buy it. The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is available now at major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, as well as at Lenovo.com. Click the links below to find one for yourself.
Original article: Aug. 31, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. ET: If Lenovo’s regular Smart Clock is too much of a bedside speaker, you’ll soon have a lower-cost option that might make more sense.
The company unveiled the $ 50 Lenovo Smart Clock Essential, which ditched a traditional LCD in favor of LEDs that convey vital information like the time (of course) and the weather. There are some advantages, however. A built-in night light helps you find your way around without waking everyone up, while a USB-A port on the back can charge your phone.
Lenovo Smart Clock Essential: Just the Basics
There won’t be an audio powerhouse between the 3W mono speaker and the two microphones, but it does have a fabric surface and easy-to-use playback and alarm buttons.
The Smart Clock Essential will be released sometime in September. It’s significantly cheaper than the $ 80 standard smart clock and may be useful when you don’t need much more from a smart speaker than a helper for your morning routine.
However, there is stiff competition. The Echo Dot from Amazon with clock does not display the weather, but delivers a surprisingly rich sound for its size. It certainly makes the most sense if you live in a household with an Alexa focus or use services like Apple Music that do not offer Google Assistant support. However, unless you’re hooked up to another digital assistant, the Smart Clock Essential might be worth a look.
Next: Lenovo Smart Clock versus Google Nest Hub
