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At the end of August, Lenovo announced a variety of new devices, and in the mix was a new addition to the company’s smart home lineup. The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential forgoes an interactive display in favor of a smaller, more discrete design than its larger Smart Clock sibling. Like the original Lenovo Smart Clock, the Essential features full smart home control via the Google Assistant and the bedside companion displays not only the time but also the day and the current weather conditions.
The Essential also comes with the same USB-A port on the back for charging your phone, smartwatch, or whatever. This model also adds a built-in night light that wraps around the rear of the device and outputs a soft, 31-lumen glow so you don’t step on that Lego when you’re stumbling to the bathroom at 3 A.M. Nice. The Essential has the same 3W speaker as the larger model so you can expect sound comparable to the second generation Nest Mini but we’ll get our hands on one to see exactly how it sounds before we tout the audio.
Lenovo did not announce an official availability date and the company’s website still lists the Essential as ‘Coming Soon’. However, Best Buy is already selling the tiny smart clock and lists a pickup date of October 10th for our local store. Oddly enough, I wasn’t able to choose a delivery option outside of picking up at a brick and mortar location. Still, this is a good indicator that Lenovo will likely have it available on or around the 10th. I am still a huge fan of the original Smart Clock from Lenovo and it’s not unusual to find it on offer for $50. That said, this smaller iteration should be a hot item and it is the perfect addition to the more intimate areas of your home since it lacks a camera and it does have a mic mute switch on the back. You can get one now by heading over to Best Buy at the link below.
