Lenovo's $50 Smart Clock Essential is now on sale

Update: October 15, 2020 at 12 p.m. ET: If you’ve been waiting for Lenovo’s simple Smart Clock to go on sale, now’s the time to buy. The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is now on sale from major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, as well as Lenovo.com. Hit the links below to pick one up for yourself.

• Buy it now from Lenovo
• Buy it now from Best Buy
• Buy it now from Walmart

Original article: August 31, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. ET: If Lenovo’s regular Smart Clock is overkill as a bedside speaker, you’ll soon have a lower-cost option that could make more sense.

The company has unveiled the $50 Lenovo Smart Clock Essential that foregoes a conventional LCD in favor of LEDs that communicate vital info like the time (of course) and the weather. There are a few perks, though. A built-in nightlight helps you find your way around without waking everyone, while a USB-A port on the back can charge your phone.

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential: Just the basics

It won’t be an audio powerhouse between the 3W mono speaker and the two microphones, but it does have a fabric finish as well as easy-to-hit playback and alarm buttons.

The Smart Clock Essential will arrive sometime in September. It’s significantly more affordable than the $80 standard Smart Clock and might make sense if you don’t need much more from a smart speaker than a helper for your morning routine.

There’s some fierce competition, however. Amazon’s Echo Dot with clock won’t display the weather, but it delivers a surprisingly rich sound for its size. It certainly makes the most sense if you live in an Alexa-centric household or use services that don’t have Google Assistant support, like Apple Music. If you’re not attached to another digital assistant, though, the Smart Clock Essential may be worth a look.

Next: Lenovo Smart Clock vs Google Nest Hub