Lenovo introduces Smart Assistant, an Amazon Echo for $50 less

Lenovo has announced a new smart home assistant to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Known as the Lenovo Smart Assistant, the device is powered by Amazon’s Alexa software and features a similar tube-like design with a lower price tag.

The Smart Assistant arrives with an Intel Celeron N3060 processor with a 5-watt tweeter and one 10-watt woofer for audio playback. The top half of the device is silver while the bottom half has a woven fabric design which comes in several colors.

The Smart Assistant is compatible with the Alexa app and other third-party smart home devices, but differs from the Amazon Echo in its price structure. Lenovo has also introduced two versions of Smart Assistant, a standard model which costs $129 and a Harmon Kardon audio version said to offer superior audio performance for $179. The standard Amazon Echo costs $179.99.

Meanwhile, Lenovo also announced a 6 TB networked hard drive named the Smart Storage box. The device automatically backs up mobile data allowing users to access it from any location, and features in-built facial recognition software to help identify people in photos.

The Smart Storage box costs $139 and will go on sale along with the Smart Assistant products in May.