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Lenovo is announcing a new smart display, which is an upgrade over the Smart Display 8 and 10 that were announced a little over a year ago.
The Lenovo Smart Display 7 is, you guessed it, a 7-inch smart display. It features a design that is similar to the first-generation Amazon Echo Show. With the speaker at the bottom of the device and the display towards the top.
Perhaps more appropriately, Lenovo took the Smart Display 8 and put it in portrait mode.
Lenovo’s Smart Display 7 took some design cues from the Smart Clock
Looking at this Smart Display 7, you can really see some design cues from the Smart Clock that the company announced earlier this year.
It now uses fabric for the bottom section of the smart display. This helps make the audio sound clearer, and also keeps it looking clean.
The backside is still a matte white finish. It does look a bit like plastic, but Lenovo is not talking about the materials being used to design this Smart Display.
Lenovo also added in an ambient light sensor to the Smart Display 7. It also has much thinner bezels, making the smart display look like it actually belongs in 2019.
Finally, Lenovo also added front-facing left and right speakers for stereo separation. Something that its customers asked for, after the Smart Display 8 and 10 were released with a single speaker on the side. Which didn’t offer much separation.
Google Assistant is still running the show
No surprise here, the Lenovo Smart Display 7 still has Google Assistant inside.
With Google Assistant built-in, you’re going to be able to use your voice to do things like ask for the weather, or control your smart home devices. And since this has a display, you’ll get it in visual form, which is a big upgrade from a Google Home Mini smart speaker.
If you do have smart home products, you can also see those on the screen and interact with them like you would on your phone. For those times that you don’t want to use your voice to turn them on or off.
Lenovo is releasing the Smart Display 7 in October
The Smart Display 7 is going to be available starting in October. Lenovo has not yet given a firm date as to when it’ll be available though.
It’ll also cost $129. Which puts it at about twice the price of the Smart Clock, but still below the old Smart Display 8 and 10 (both of which have been discounted pretty heavily recently).
