The easy bedside alarm clock is a timeless idea, providing you a fast and handy method to see all the data you want as quickly as you get up. It additionally lends itself fairly nicely to modernisation; including Internet-based smarts to a tool that already occupies a first-rate spot in your house. Strangely, not lots of producers make this sort of product, and Lenovo is among the many few that do. The firm’s newest product on this section 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 fundamental monochrome show to inform you the time. Is this the perfect sensible gadget on your bedside or desk high? Find out on this assessment.

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

The display screen is tilted only a bit upwards for straightforward visibility, making this gadget equally appropriate to be used by your bedside or on a desk high. 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 gadget has the ability socket for the included energy adapter, a bodily swap to mute the microphones for privateness, and a fairly helpful USB Type-A port; you may join a charging cable and use the Smart Clock Essential to cost different units this manner. Just above the display screen are two microphones, and the highest of the gadget has bodily buttons to regulate the amount and playback, and set alarms. Of course, all of those features 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 another Google Assistant-powered sensible gadget. The speaker has a rated output of 3W, and is on the high 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 gadget. 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 units. The ring across the rear panel acts as a wise nightlight.

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential options and efficiency

Although the primary sensible audio system with Google Assistant got here from Google itself, manufacturers reminiscent of Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Sonos have since entered the section with their very own merchandise. They work with Google Assistant in the identical method that Google’s personal sensible 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 sensible home equipment, and taking part in audio content material.

The show of the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is extra to the full-fledged sensible speaker performance. It is uncomplicated and does precisely what it is alleged to, displaying fundamental data such because the time, climate, and day of the week. You cannot customise this or management what the display screen reveals in any respect, however I do not see this as an issue; it is meant for use as a clock, and serves that goal nicely. 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 gadget would not have a contact display screen, there are buttons to regulate some features, together with adjusting the amount, taking part in and pausing content material, and setting alarms. While the amount and playback controls are easy sufficient, setting alarms utilizing the buttons is extremely difficult and vulnerable to errors. I most well-liked setting alarms utilizing voice instructions, which had been rather a lot faster to execute as nicely.

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

The show of the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential reveals 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 take advantage of to function different sensible lights in my dwelling. For instance, the command “Hey Google, turn on the light” activated each the sensible mild in the identical room because the gadget, in addition to the night time mild on the Smart Clock Essential. A separate “Hey Google, turn off the night light” command was wanted to repair the state of affairs.

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 decreasing the amount, however that defeated the aim of utilizing it as a speaker for far 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 problem that I had with the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential includes its microphones. Although they labored nicely 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 special room) decide up and act on the command as an alternative, regardless 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 screen. The monochrome LED show makes the Smart Clock Essential a greater and simpler bedside or table-top gadget than the Smart Clock, and the cheaper price sweetens the general deal. Save for just a few small quirks involving the microphones and night time mild, this gadget operates pretty nicely.

Poor sound high quality is its greatest weak point, and that is a reasonably important level to contemplate on a tool that’s pitched as a wise speaker (of kinds). Although Google Assistant and all allied features work nicely, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential has an oddly disagreeable sound that makes it considerably unsuitable for listening to music. It’s price contemplating this gadget for its kind issue, options, and bedside alarm clock performance, however you’d undoubtedly be higher off with the Rs. 3,499 Mi Smart Speaker in case you are invested within the Google Assistant ecosystem and sound high quality is a crucial consideration.

Is HomePod mini one of the best sensible speaker underneath 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.