Matthew DeCarlo
Lenovo’s Smart Clock with Google Assistant is now available for only $39.99 at Best Buy, half off its original price of $79.99. When we reviewed the device in June, we gave it 9 out of 10 as a smarthome bedroom companion.
Back then, we noted that Lenovo’s Smart Clock was reasonably priced for its hardware and capabilities, but that these devices are often discounted and you could likely count on a sale coming sooner rather than later.
Now at $40, this Smart Clock has all the features of a Google Nest Mini—plus a touchscreen—yet it costs $10 less than a Nest Mini at the current sale price. That realization was enough to prompt a couple of Review Geek staffers into purchasing this smart alarm clock while it’s listed at such a low price.
The Smart Clock has a four-inch IPS display that can be used for browsing the web or controlling music playback over the integrated six-watt speakers, but note that the device doesn’t support the ability to play videos. With Google Assistant installed, you can talk to it through the built-in microphone and control smart devices around your house.
Other noteworthy features include a sunrise clock function, support for 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks instead of just 2.4 GHz, while the fact that it doesn’t have a camera makes the Smart Clock suitable for bedroom placement (the microphone can be disabled too with a hardware switch on the back).
Here’s what we had to say about our experience using the Smart Clock in our review:
Even the screen’s interface is optimized for all the stuff you’d want to do first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Swiping left and right on the home screen goes through the clock, alarm control, local weather, and music controls (if it’s playing). Swipe down from any of these screens, and you have quick access to set a new alarm, play music, turn off the lights in your bedroom (assuming they’re connected to your Google Home system), or activate the default “Good Night” Home actions.
