Looks like Lenovo knows a good thing when it sees one. Its 8- and 10-inch Smart Displays, both powered by Google Assistant, won plenty of fans (we loved the 10-inch Smart Display), and now Lenovo is back with a 7-inch version. The computer manufacturer is also bringing Google Assistant to a couple of Android-powered tablets.
Slated to ship in October, the Smart Display 7 features slimmed-down bezels and an ambient light sensor that adjusts the display to better show off your snapshots whenever you’re using the 1024 x 600 screen as a digital photo frame. And ujnlike its larger siblings, this model shifts the speakers below the display and offers true left/right stereo.
Naturally, Google Assistant is front-and-center on the Smart Display 7 (which will retail for $130, according to The Verge), handy for asking Google about the weather, getting a traffic report, playing tunes, setting alarms and reminders, or taking charge of compatible smart devices.
If you need a break from Google Assistant, you can press a dedicated mute button to disable the dual-mic array and cover the integrated 2-megapixel camera lens with a TrueBlock privacy shutter.
We called the 10-inch version of the Smart Display a “rare first-generation product that might actually be better than its No. 1 competitor right out of the gate,” so we’re eager to compare this new 7-inch model with Amazon’s second-generation Echo Show.
Besides the Smart Display 7, Lenovo also has a couple of new Google Assistant-powered smart tablets to show off.
LenovoIn addition to the Smart Display 7, Lenovo also unveiled the Google Assistant-powered Yoga Smart Tab (above) and the Smart Tab M8.
Up first: the Yoga Smart Tab, a 10.1-inch successor to the Yoga Tab 3 that comes with on-board Google Assistant, a pair of JBL speakers, Dolby Atmos sound, far-field microphones that are effective from up to five meters away, and (as with its predecessor) a kickstand. Speaking of the kickstand, you can activate Google Assistant’s Ambient Mode on the Yoga Smart Tab by pressing the kickstand’s release button.
Also coming soon is the Smart Tab M8, an 8-inch tablet with far-field microphones for summoning Google Assistant, along with a nifty Smart Charging Station that props up the M8 while it’s charging.
The Yoga Smart Tab is set for release this month, while the Smart Tab M8 should arrive in October, according to Lenovo, with The Verge pegging their price tags at $250 and $120, respectively.