Disclosure: I received this device to review as a member of the Lenovo INsiders' Program. All opinions are my own, and no one is reviewing my content before it is posted.
Take the Google Assistant, and stuff it into a fabric coated alarm clock. That's essentially what the Lenovo Smart Clock is, and that makes it the most helpful alarm clock out there.
The device is only about 4.5 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 3 inches tall. It's pretty small, which is the first thing that stood out to me when I first opened it. This means it doesn't take up too much space on your nightstand.
Speakers
While the Smart Clock is small in size, it does not disappoint in terms of speaker quality.
There is a good amount of bass when playing music, and voices are crisp and clear when listening to podcasts. Most importantly for an alarm clock, the speakers are loud - you will have no problem being woken up by the Smart Clock. Take a listen:
There is a good amount of bass when playing music, and voices are crisp and clear when listening to podcasts. Most importantly for an alarm clock, the speakers are loud - you will have no problem being woken up by the Smart Clock. Take a listen:
Microphones
There are two front-facing microphones on the Smart Clock, and they do a good job at picking up my voice from across the room, even with music playing.
There is a switch on the back to turn off the microphones.
Odds & Ends
One of the closet things I can do with the Smart Clock is silencing or snoozing the alarm clock just by talking to it. I love this because it allows me to not wake up everyone in the house once my alarm clock goes off.
If you can't trust yourself with this feature, you can always just tap the top of the clock and snooze it the old-fashioned way.
If you can't trust yourself with this feature, you can always just tap the top of the clock and snooze it the old-fashioned way.
My last alarm clock was the Phillips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock, which had a sunrise simulation on it, meaning it would gradually increase the light intensity as it reaches your alarm time. That feature is available on the Smart Clock as well, which means a more natural way to wake up - especially during the winter.
There are several clock faces to choose from. All of them are interactive, meaning they will change throughout the day depending on certain factors, such as the weather, or your appointments.
The Smart Clock dims really low at night, to the point where I can barely the backlight. It also switches to a mono colored clock face. This is great because the display won't disturb you while you sleep. You can also set "Do not disturb" times to ensure that no alerts will come on while you're sleeping.
This is what it looks like with all the lights off.
Just like the Google Home, the Lenovo Smart Clock is able to make phone calls, which is something not many alarm clocks can do. It has the Google Assistant built in, which means you can ask it any questions you have, and it will pull the answers directly from Google. I use it most to figure it out how to spell a word, or define a term. You can also control a myriad of smart home devices, from thermostats, air conditioners, to video doorbells. I'll have an article dedicated to that.
One Google Assistant feature that is missing on the Lenovo Smart Clock is continued conversation. Continued conversation is a feature that allows you to continue asking the Assistant questions without prompting it by saying the hotword "hey google." However, Lenovo employees have confirmed that the feature will be rolled out soon.
One Google Assistant feature that is missing on the Lenovo Smart Clock is continued conversation. Continued conversation is a feature that allows you to continue asking the Assistant questions without prompting it by saying the hotword "hey google." However, Lenovo employees have confirmed that the feature will be rolled out soon.
Overall, this is a great addition to any smart home, as well as a great introductory device to a smart home. It has all the bells and whistles you can ask for in an alarm clock, and it the smartest and most helpful alarm clock you can get.
Check out the Lenovo Smart Clock here!
Check out the Lenovo Smart Clock here!
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