Lenovo - 8" Smart Display with Google Assistant - White Front/Gray Back

I purchased this during the Black Friday promotion for $99. I used points and a gift card to get the price down to $59.99. I think that is a good deal. I really am enjoying the google assistant features. I also like being able to ask google to cast music to my Sony sound bar. I don’t like that when I ask google to play next song or what song is playing it does not know unless I ask what is playing on my sound bar or specifically ask it to play next song on my sound bar. I have the Insignia google assistant portable speaker which is excellent and I don’t have to specifically ask to skip song on sound bar or what is playing on sound bar. That speaker just knows it is casting to that device automatically. It does know what song is playing when asked if you are playing music through the built in speaker. My WiFi has gone out twice in a few months time and the Insignia google assistant speaker re connected automatically when the router came back online. My Lenovo google assistant did not reconnect automatically when my router just went out again recently. I don’t think it has an off switch to re set it. I ended up unplugging it and plugging it back in to re set the WiFi connection. I am using this as an alarm clock and if I hadn’t woken up at about 3:30 am and noticed the white screen saying to reconnect to WiFi I am assuming the alarm would not have gone off. I am hesitant to trust this as an alarm now. The Insignia speaker clock also goes blank when WiFi is lost and I am assuming that alarm would not go off either but at least it reconnects to WiFi automatically. I think google should not require to have WiFi at all times for something as simple as the alarm clock feature. I am still giving this four stars though because when it works its very useful with providing almost instant answers to your questions. It’s amazing how quickly these google assistant devices are able to search the various internet sources and provide an answer. The single speaker is ok but not as good as the Insignia portable. That allows you to adjust bass and treble with the google home app. This Lenovo display doesn’t. I think they should have made it with a speaker on each side of the screen to double the output power. I guess they just wanted to make it more compact for a night stand which this is great for! The screen is a nice feature to be able to see multiple alarms or timers that have been set. Just be weary of possible unreliable alarms if your WiFi goes out on occasion. Also nice to see either your personal google photos collection or the default photos provided from various categories like fine art, earth, etc.

The Lenovo 7' smart display seems to be a nice product in build and for the most part function so far. The picture and sound quality is descent. I like the speakers being on the bottom and the whole unit is sturdy on the counter due to the weight and rubber pads. The idea behind this item would be just as if not more useful for the kitchen as the bedroom because of the photo frame and ability to look up, display and even read aloud a recipe to you while working in the kitchen. It plays music nicely. Alarms and timers as well. Now for the short comings: The Google ecosystem doesn't have to be so involved to get something up and running. Being fairly tech savvy I was frustrated that it took this Lenovo and Google Home app several attempts to get it initialized on the app and froze part way thru 3 or 4 times and timed out after resetting it and repeating, it all worked out and has been fine after that. Our only other negative is the lack of apps for the display but that to this point hasn't been a big negative. It only supports Duo and Pandora etc. and would be nice to have more flexibility in these areas. While trying to work thru the freezing and pairing problems I attempted to get some contact info for Lenovo because It was looking like I would need it and support and contact info with Lenovo is a Joke! Hope this was helpful

This first generation smart display is quite well done overall. Just the way it looks with its bamboo, curved back makes it look nice on your countertop. Rather than a metal box, it has an artsy, contemporary look. Functionally, it hits all the marks as a google assistant. Having the screen enhances all of the basic functions you are used to with a Google Home device. I only played with the recipe feature a little but it works as advertised allowing you to go step by step through directions with your voice. I love being able to have my music videos playing while I am preparing food in the kitchen. Right now, it's limited in its built-in video services and I hope they will attract more partners (listen up Netflix and Hulu). You can chromecast some services to it (no Netflix as of this review). Forget about Amazon Prime. You can't chromecast Amazon Prime in general, let alone getting it native on this smart display until Amazon and Google resolve their spat. I mean - Amazon won't even sell Google Assistant products directly. For hue lighting, you get voice control followed by onscreen sliders and touch controls for dimming and colors. Very handy. Inquiries about facts are coupled with visual aids. For example, ask about a country and you get photos of that country. My main complaint that keeps it from 5-star is that it reveals my reminder list to everyone in my household no matter who made the last request. For example, if my husband asks it something, it will respond appropriately. Then, after its timeout period, it will return to a screen with the weather and MY reminders for a few minutes before finally settling back into its default photo frame function. I don't want my reminders there for everyone to see. Thankfully, it seems that's all it does. My calendar remains private and only visible when I call upon it with my voice. That's not a deal breaker though. I still find it a great addition to my kitchen and look forward to it growing and expanding with new services and tweaks to its interface. I give it a thumbs up!

So very easy to set up out of the box !!! Choice of male or female voice for spoken responses. Sound is SUPERB !!! Can be set to F/T clock face for use in the bedroom (as I have done) > auto-brightness is spot on (see pics) Setting an upcoming alarm is as easy as saying: {hey google... set an alarm for 6:30 am tomorrow ~ she says: alarm is set for 6:30 am tomorrow} That’s all there is too it... Of course if you use yours in the kitchen or family room >> Google Home app has so many more options available !!!!

Nicely packaged, similar to an Apple product in its minimalistic design. I really like the bamboo finish, only available on the 10 inch model. Video call requires the unit to be placed in the portrait orientation. Screen resolution is superb. Sound is not loud but clear and clean. It can be the best alarm clock you own. Setup took between 10 and 15 minutes due to extra time used to setup my pay method, even that was easy. All devices connected without difficulty, first time. I gave it a 4 star rating and not a 5 star rating due to the hope that I could use the device to make voice calls via wifi and not on my mobile voice plan. My mother lives in an area where the phone lines are not data capable. The canyon she lives in is remote and mobile service is unable to cover her residence. The Lenovo Assistant insists on making a video call and will not revert to a voice call. I can connect via bluetooth to call but that uses my mobile voice plan. In any case my 1st interactive assistant is of the finest pedigree. It really deserves 5 stars.

We have had the original Google Home for over 2 years, to which we’ve added 5 minis, a Google Home Hub, and many smart plugs, multicolor smart lights, and other IOT devices, including a smart diffuser, but this is our latest purchase. We initially purchased the Google Home Hub for the kitchen, but it truthfully works better in the bedroom as a night stand Hub. This device works better for the kitchen, especially with the larger screen, the more features, and the video calling. The Google Home Hub has many things going in its favor, but this is definitely the better choice for the kitchen.

Love the Google Assistant. Only thing that's missing is that it doesn't show today's date and what day it is, pretty annoying!

I was deciding to buy google hub but this was better than google hub with ability to have physical shutter for the camera and bigger and better screen with the ability to go into portrait mode. I definitely prefer this more than google home hub. Arrived in good condition and got on a Black Friday deal for 99. Just worth every penny