At the Consumer Electronics Show, Lenovo has announced a pair of Alexa-powered smart speakers. However, unlike other similar screen-equipped smart home appliances, these two come with a twist. Called Smart Tabs, the new 10-inch smart screens also double as Android tablets.
Here’s how they work — When plugged in the bundled dock/stand, the displays enter Amazon’s Show Mode where they can display pictures, show you recipes, perform other Alexa queries on a screen, the usual. But once you undock them, they turn into full-fledged Android tablets running Oreo.
As Android tablets, these new devices are largely budget oriented as far as the specifications are concerned. They’re powered by Qualcomm’s aged Snapdragon 450 chipset, built-in Dolby Atmos speakers, and bezel-laden 10-inch 1080p screens. There are two variants — P10 and M10. The latter is the cheaper option of the two and has a 4,850mAh battery, 2-megapixel selfie camera, 5-megapixel rear camera, 2GB or 3GB of RAM, and 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. The P10, on the other hand, comes with a 7000mAh battery, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 8-megapixel rear camera, up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The P10 also has a more premium glass design instead of the M10’s slate-like aesthetic.
The good thing, however, is that they’re priced competitively. The Lenovo M10 costs $199.99, while the P10 goes all the way up to $299.99. Both of them will be available this month. Based on the hardware, they might not seem as impressive but for consumers who in the market for a new smart display and a budget tablet, they’re not terrible deals either. The question is which part of the equation you value more because if you’re expecting a large-screen tablet for playing games, they will undoubtedly leave you disappointed. But for binge-watching shows and Alexa queries, a 7000mAh/4850mAh battery, stereo speakers, and 10-inch 1080p screens seem quite sufficient.