Lenovo Smart Clock Review: A Bedside Google Assistant

Humans have been dreaming up machines that take care of everyday household tasks since the Industrial Revolution. Smart home devices of various types have existed for several decades, but have become increasingly popular over the last few years as they have become more powerful, intelligent, and connected. Many consumers are now able to do everything from preheating their ovens to checking up on their home security cameras, with a simple tap on their smart device.


Lenovo started to inch its way into the smart home market last year. The Lenovo Smart Display with Google Assistant was released in 2018. It was one of the first Google Assistant-enabled display devices to hit the market. The device is slim, stylish, and greatly benefits from its inherent Google Assistant skills. Unfortunately for Lenovo, Google released their own display device in October 2018 as well. The Google Home Hub shares many of the same features of the Lenovo Smart Display, but boasts a lower price. So, Lenovo went back to the drawing board and came up with the device we'll be showing you here, the Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant.

Lenovo has just released its Smart Clock with Google Assistant. Interestingly, there are very few smart clocks from major tech companies currently on the market. The Amazon Echo Spot has perhaps been the most popular smart clock since its release in 2017. However, many consumers disliked the Echo Spot’s small 2.5 inch screen, relatively high price, and the inability to turn off its “things to try” feature. The Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant is a welcome addition to the space.


The Lenovo Smart Clock is small, sleek, and fits perfectly on a night stand. It measures just 4.483 x 3.14 x 3.11 inches (113.88 x 79.8 x 79.2 mm) and weighs 0.723lbs (328g). The device also features a 4 inch IPS touchscreen that can access information about weather forecasts, the user’s schedule and reminders, music, and alarms. Unlike the Lenovo Smart Display or Google Home Hub though, you cannot watch videos or make audio or video calls. The device does not include a camera and can only be activated through voice command or its touchscreen. The device can access a user’s Nest cameras, but we were unable to test that feature for this review. Google is reportedly adding support for third-party cameras soon as well.

	Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant
Processor	Mediatek 8167S 1.5GHz
Storage	8GB eMMC
Memory	1GB
OS	Android Things
Battery	N/A
Audio	3-watt speaker and two passive radiators
Interfaces	USB-A 2.0 charging port
Connectivity	802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth 5.0
Display	4-inch IPS touchscreen
Dimensions	4.483 x 3.14 x 3.11 inches (113.88 x 79.8 x 79.2 mm)
Weight	0.723lbs (328g)
Price	$79.99 USD

The Lenovo Smart Clock is covered in a grey cloth and features two small buttons on its top. These two buttons can control the volume of the device. The soft cloth is fairly dense and does not pick up too much dust and the device’s size and muted colors help it to blend into the environment.


The back of the device includes a power port, microphone mute button, and a USB 2.0 charging port. Users can save power outlets and charge a device right from the clock. The smart clock does not include a battery and must be plugged-in to function, however. The power adapter cable is over 4.5 feet long and easily stretches from a power outlet to a higher surface like a night stand.

The device features a Mediatek 8167S 1.5GHz processor, 8GB eMMC storage, 1GB of memory, and the Android Things OS. It also includes an interior 3-watt speaker and two passive radiators. Both 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth 5.0 are integrated into the device. We had no difficulties connecting to our WiFi or via Bluetooth.


Most importantly, the Lenovo Smart Clock includes Google Assistant. The device can access many of the Google Assistant skills and is compatible with over 10,000 other devices. We will now dig into the set-up process, including the device’s compatibility with our personal Google devices.