The easy bedside alarm clock is a timeless idea, providing you a fast and handy option to see all the data you want as quickly as you get up. It additionally lends itself fairly properly to modernisation; including Internet-based smarts to a tool that already occupies a main spot in your house. Strangely, not quite a lot of producers make this sort of product, and Lenovo is among the many few that do. The firm’s newest product on this phase is the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential, priced at Rs. 4,499.

A toned-down and extra reasonably priced model of the Lenovo Smart Clock which I’ve already reviewed, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential simplifies the show and brings the worth down. At its core, it is nonetheless a wise speaker, however with a primary monochrome show to let you know the time. Is this the best good machine to your bedside or desk prime? Find out on this evaluate.

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is smaller and extra reasonably priced than the Lenovo Smart Clock

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential design and specs

While the Lenovo Smart Clock has a color display, the Smart Clock Essential has a 4-inch monochrome LED non-touch show. It exhibits the time, day of the week, and a climate report (temperature and situations) for the placement that you just outline utilizing the Google Home app. The display additionally shows symbols for energetic alarms, when set. At the highest of the display is a set of 4 lights that illuminate when the amount is being adjusted, or to let you recognize that the machine is listening for voice instructions after the wake phrases have been spoken.

The display is tilted only a bit upwards for simple visibility, making this machine equally appropriate to be used by your bedside or on a desk prime. The remainder of the physique narrows in direction of the again, and is fabric-wrapped on all sides. The backside of the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential has rubber grips to maintain it securely in place on a clean, onerous floor.

The again of the machine has the facility socket for the included energy adapter, a bodily swap to mute the microphones for privateness, and a moderately helpful USB Type-A port; you’ll be able to join a charging cable and use the Smart Clock Essential to cost different gadgets this fashion. Just above the display are two microphones, and the highest of the machine has bodily buttons to regulate the amount and playback, and set alarms. Of course, all of those capabilities may also be managed via voice instructions.

For voice instructions and controls, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential makes use of Google Assistant, and it really works like some other Google Assistant-powered good machine. The speaker has a rated output of 3W, and is on the prime of the Smart Clock Essential, firing upwards. There’s dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 for connectivity, 4GB of RAM, and an Amlogic processor powering the machine. Interestingly, there may be additionally an evening mild across the again of its physique, with a rated brightness of as much as 31 lumens.

There is a USB port on the again to cost different gadgets. The ring across the rear panel acts as a wise nightlight.

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential options and efficiency

Although the primary good audio system with Google Assistant got here from Google itself, manufacturers reminiscent of Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Sonos have since entered the phase with their very own merchandise. They work with Google Assistant in the identical manner that Google’s personal good audio system work: always-on microphones are listening for the wake phrases, and the audio system can perform numerous duties together with answering queries, working good home equipment, and enjoying audio content material.

The show of the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is further to the full-fledged good speaker performance. It is uncomplicated and does precisely what it is presupposed to, displaying primary info such because the time, climate, and day of the week. You cannot customise this or management what the display exhibits in any respect, however I do not see this as an issue; it is meant for use as a clock, and serves that function properly. You can set the brightness of the show utilizing voice instructions, and the dimmest setting is not harsh on the eyes in a darkish room.

Since the machine does not have a contact display, there are buttons to regulate some capabilities, together with adjusting the amount, enjoying and pausing content material, and setting alarms. While the amount and playback controls are easy sufficient, setting alarms utilizing the buttons is extremely sophisticated and liable to errors. I most popular setting alarms utilizing voice instructions, which have been rather a lot faster to execute as properly.

Interestingly, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential additionally has an evening mild on the again, which will be turned on and off utilizing voice instructions. It’s helpful to have, and the comfortable lighting, working simply as a small evening mild would.

The show of the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential exhibits the time and climate situations prominently

I did have to make use of very particular voice instructions although, as they usually clashed with voice instructions I exploit to function different good lights in my house. For instance, the command “Hey Google, turn on the light” activated each the good mild in the identical room because the machine, in addition to the evening mild on the Smart Clock Essential. A separate “Hey Google, turn off the night light” command was wanted to repair the scenario.

Sound high quality on the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is not significantly good; the odd angle of the speaker, its measurement and output ranking, and the sonic signature itself make for a shrill sound that I did not discover too nice. While I did not thoughts the sound high quality for voice responses from Google Assistant, and even for voice-based content material reminiscent of podcasts, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential did not sound superb with music.

Listening to a canopy of Maroon 5’s Maps by Postmodern Jukebox, the highs and mid-range sounded piercing, with the cymbals, high-hats, and retro-inspired vocals all considerably unpleasantly sharp. This could possibly be minimised by lowering the amount, however that defeated the aim of utilizing it as a speaker for way more than occasional listening in very particular settings. You can, via voice instructions, customise the alarm tones and have particular tracks or playlists to wake you up, however you will want to have the ability to give the precise voice instructions to get this accomplished.

A small, however not inconsequential difficulty that I had with the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential entails its microphones. Although they labored properly for me and precisely picked up wake phrases and voice instructions for Google Assistant from up shut, I often had my Google Nest Audio (positioned in a unique room) choose up and act on the command as a substitute, despite the fact that I used to be nearer to the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential. This was overcome by talking softly, and transferring nearer to the Smart Clock Essential. Perhaps higher microphones would have prevented this odd downside within the first place.

Verdict

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is similar to the Smart Clock, however with one apparent distinction – the display. The monochrome LED show makes the Smart Clock Essential a greater and simpler bedside or table-top machine than the Smart Clock, and the cheaper price sweetens the general deal. Save for a couple of small quirks involving the microphones and evening mild, this machine operates pretty properly.

Poor sound high quality is its largest weak point, and that is a reasonably important level to think about on a tool that’s pitched as a wise speaker (of kinds). Although Google Assistant and all allied capabilities work properly, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential has an oddly disagreeable sound that makes it considerably unsuitable for listening to music. It’s price contemplating this machine for its type issue, options, and bedside alarm clock performance, however you’d positively be higher off with the Rs. 3,499 Mi Smart Speaker if you’re invested within the Google Assistant ecosystem and sound high quality is a crucial consideration.

Is HomePod mini the perfect good speaker below Rs. 10,000? We mentioned this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is out there on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.