Lenovo's pared-down Smart Clock Essential has an old-school LED display

Nope, the new Lenovo Smart Clock Essential doesn't do videos, slideshows or fancy user interfaces. Instead, you get a back-to-basics LED, although Google Assistant is still under the hood. Slated to go on sale this fall for $50, the Smart Clock Essential is--essentially?--Lenovo's take on Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo Dot with Clock, although the Smart Clock Essential's four-inch LED display is slightly more detailed than the Echo Dot's spare digital readout, featuring the temperature and weather as well as the time. As with last year's Lenovo Smart Clock (which we've reviewed), the Smart Clock Essential has a fabric-covered base and a single 1.5-inch 3W speaker, while a two-microphone array lets you chat with Google Assistant. Naturally, you can ask the Assistant to set alarms, check the day's agenda, play tunes, and control your smart home devices.