Lenovo Smart Display 8 Review | 130 Data compared

The Techaeris review highlights the Lenovo Smart Display 8" as a capable, budget-friendly alternative to the 10-inch model, featuring a bright HD display, crisp 10W audio, and a physical privacy shutter, although it lacks the premium bamboo backing and supports native portrait orientation only during video calls. Despite these limitations, it is praised for its excellent Google Assistant integration and aesthetic design.

The Mighty Gadget review highlights the Lenovo Smart Display 8-inch as a functional, attractive device, particularly suited for kitchens with its flexible, rotatable design and physical privacy controls. Key pros noted are the aesthetic, strong Google Assistant performance, and portrait mode capability, while cons involve a gray plastic back (rather than bamboo), lower-resolution screen compared to the 10-inch model, and limited bass output.

The MumsClub review highlights the Lenovo Smart Display as a helpful, hands-free kitchen companion featuring Google Assistant, praised for displaying recipes, playing YouTube videos, and serving as a digital photo frame. While offering physical privacy shutters for security, the device is limited by a landscape-only interface, with portrait mode restricted to Google Duo video calls, which require contacts to also use the app.

The 2018 Verge review praises the Lenovo Smart Display for its elegant, "wedge" design—including a 10-inch bamboo option—and seamless, native integration with Google services like Maps, Calendar, and YouTube, which offers a superior experience to the Amazon Echo Show. While featuring a physical camera privacy shutter, the device suffers from mediocre, flat sound quality and limited vertical screen orientation for non-video call tasks. Ultimately, it is described as a highly functional, though still evolving, visual vehicle for Google Assistant.

The TechRadar review praises the Lenovo Smart Display as a sleek, 8-inch or 10-inch Full HD Google Assistant device ideal for kitchens, featuring a powerful 10-watt speaker and a physical camera privacy shutter. While offering seamless Google integration for recipes and visual aids, the display is limited by its inability to run native Android apps, restricted portrait mode, and lack of support for services like Netflix.

The GadgetsBoy review praises the Lenovo Smart Display for its chic design, robust sound system, and responsive performance, concluding it outperforms Google's own hardware in aesthetics and value. While offering seamless Google Assistant integration, the review notes the lack of a dedicated orientation button for non-video call use and limitations within the Google smart display software ecosystem.

The VentureBeat review highlights the Lenovo Smart Display as a visually compelling home for Google Assistant, offering effective voice-touch integration for tasks like recipe navigation and smart home control. However, the device is constrained by the lack of an on-screen keyboard and a single-direction speaker that offers lower audio quality compared to traditional, cheaper smart speakers.

Tom's Guide highlights the Lenovo Smart Display as a superior alternative to the Echo Show, featuring a crisp display, robust audio, and a helpful physical camera privacy shutter. While praised for its Google Assistant integration, the review notes drawbacks including an awkward design that restricts portrait mode, lack of native Netflix support, and inconsistent far-field microphone performance at high volumes.

Paul Thurrott's review highlights the Lenovo Smart Display as a visually rich, pioneering Google Assistant device featuring a beautiful photo mode, helpful contextual visuals for search and recipes, and physical privacy shutters for the camera and microphone. While praised for its design, the review notes limitations such as restricted portrait orientation for video calls and the requirement to use Google Duo for video communication.

The TechHive review praises the Lenovo Smart Display as a top-tier Google Assistant device, highlighting its superior audio performance, intuitive UI, attractive design, and competitive pricing compared to the Amazon Echo Show. While offering a compelling user experience, the review notes drawbacks such as a difficult-to-conceal power plug, limited visual search capabilities, and the absence of dedicated, on-screen apps for music and YouTube.

The Lenovo Smart Display is a competent, stationary hub pairing Google Assistant with an 8-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS touchscreen, serving as a robust, visual upgrade over traditional smart speakers with features like a physical privacy shutter. PhoneArena highlights its strong Google ecosystem integration and clear, wide-angle visuals, while noting limitations in video app support, lack of system-wide portrait orientation, and a microphone array that struggles with voice commands during music playback.