Google Nest Hub or Lenovo Smart Clock: Which should you buy?

Ben Schoon | Jun 3 2019 - 9:30 am PT

Google Assistant is available on devices of all shapes and sizes, with plenty of different places you can use it. As far as smaller devices go, though, there are two main options with the Google Nest Hub and Lenovo Smart Clock. Which one is right for you? Let’s take a look.

Lenovo Smart Clock vs Google Nest Hub

Where are you going to use it?

The biggest question when you’re looking for a Google Assistant device is where you’re going to use it. These devices are useful almost everywhere in the home, but some are stronger in certain places versus others. In the case of the Lenovo Smart Clock and the Nest Hub, it comes down to if you want to use it in the bedroom or not.

Without a doubt, the best Assistant product for the bedroom is the Lenovo Smart Clock. As we mentioned in our full review, the product shines in this location thanks to optimized software and hardware features that just make it a better bedside companion. The Nest Hub is fine in this location, but it’s not quite a perfect fit.

Move anywhere else in the home, the kitchen for example, and the Smart Clock just doesn’t compare. The larger screen size and better capabilities of the Google Nest Hub make it a better device elsewhere in the home. Another difference in the software worth considering is that the Nest Hub’s theme is largely white, while the Smart Clock goes dark.

The Nest Hub has more touch controls than the Lenovo Smart Clock

What do you want to use it for?

It’s not just the location, but also the use case you’ll want to keep in mind. As mentioned, the Lenovo Smart Clock is optimized for the bedroom. To that end, it functions best for setting alarms, streaming music, controlling home devices, and answering questions. The Nest Hub can do all of these things, but also more.

The small size of the Lenovo Smart Clock means it can’t stream videos like the Nest Hub can. It also lacks the “Home View” center for controlling all of your home devices through touch. There are no informational cards for news either. These losses on the Smart Clock make it much less capable than the Nest Hub, which is why if you want to do any of those things, you’ll want to go for the bigger option.

The Smart Clock can’t play videos, while the Nest Hub can

Price is an important consideration

There’s also a $50 difference in retail price between these two devices. That could influence the decision for many and get some users to pick up a Lenovo Smart Clock instead of a Google Nest Hub just to save a few bucks. However, Google’s display is very often on sale which changes things dramatically. Just last week, the device went on sale for just $68, and that’s not the first time that’s happened.

$50 separates the price of the Google Nest Hub and Lenovo Smart Clock

You can’t slap the Nest Hub to get it to shut up

As mentioned, the Lenovo Smart Clock has some optimizations for the bedroom that the Nest Hub lacks. One of those is the ability to slap the top of the device to turn an alarm into a snooze timer. It’s a handy feature, and one the Nest Hub simply doesn’t have. You might be able to silence the Hub using this method, but not quite in the safest way…