It’s now easier than ever to put together a smart home of your own, but with so many gadgets and gizmos out there, which ones are right for you? We’ve looked at dozens of devices to figure out which one is best for your new smart home.
Lenovo Smart Display
Our pick
$200 – $250 at B&H
Pros
- Comes in two sizes
- Super loud speaker
- Crisp, colorful display
- Lovely bamboo back on the 10-inch model
Cons
- Sound quality is good, not great
The Lenovo Smart Display was the first device of its kind to hit the market, and it’s still one of the best you can buy. We love that it’s offered in both 8-inch and 10-inch variants for the display sizes, and along with that, Lenovo’s option also delivers solid speakers, a great design, and an affordable price.
LG XBOOM WK9
High quality sound
$247 at B&H
Pros
- Powerful speakers
- Camera for Google Duo calls
- HD 8-inch display
Cons
- It’s pretty ugly
- Seriously, who named this thing?
LG’s first foray into the smart display market is all about function over form. While we appreciate the impressive speakers and built-in camera for video calls, the blocky design isn’t great to look at and the display is smaller than we’d like for the asking price.
The LG XBOOM WK9 is the better-sounding of these two products, but for most people out there, we recommend going with the Lenovo Smart Display. Its speakers still sound good and it benefits from a much nicer design, your choice between two size options, and a considerably lower starting price.
The Lenovo Smart Display is the better choice for most people
We’re not beating around the bush with this comparison. If you’ve narrowed down your search to the Lenovo Smart Display and the LG XBOOM WK9, Lenovo’s gadget just makes the most sense.
To be fair, both of these smart displays are pretty much identical when it comes to day-to-day use. Both are powered by the Google Assistant and have the same user interface that’s easy to use and more touch-friendly than what you’ll find on the Amazon Echo Show.
You get both display’s attention by saying “Hey Google” or “OK Google” and can use them to set timers, watch YouTube videos, follow recipes, make video calls on Google Duo, place regular phone calls using your real number, and a ton more. Accessing controls for all of your other smart home devices (such as lights, thermostats, and more) is as easy as swiping down from the top of the screen, and if you want to pump up the jams throughout your entire home, both of these can be added to multi-room audio groups using the Google Home app.
The Lenovo Smart Display’s hardware is vastly better than the LG XBOOM WK9.
Where things start to differ is with the hardware. The Lenovo Smart Display features a unique wedge design that allows it to be stood up both vertically and horizontally (although the UI still only rotates for the vertical mode when you’re using Google Duo) and the 10-inch model has a gorgeous bamboo back while the 8-inch one gets a simple plastic finish.
Both variants of the Lenovo Smart Display work exactly the same, save for the difference in screen size and price. Having that sort of flexibility is really great as it allows Lenovo to have the lower starting price while still offering a more expensive model for customers that want the biggest screen possible.
Sound quality on the Lenovo Smart Display certainly isn’t the best we’ve ever heard, but it’s also not bad by any stretch of the imagination. While it may not have the clearest or fullest speakers around, it does get ridiculously loud — making it a great fit for the kitchen where you often have a lot of ambient noise going on.
The LG XBOOM WK9 does have better overall sound quality compared to the Lenovo Smart Display, but that’s really the only benefit it brings to the table.
It’s large, bulky, and honestly looks kind of cheap. It may do the same things as the Lenovo Smart Display, but Lenovo’s option looks a heck of a lot better while doing those things.
Along with that, the WK9 is only offered in one 8-inch size and has a higher starting price at $250 compared to the 8-inch Lenovo Smart Display that sells for $200.
Lenovo Smart Display
Our pick
$200 – $250 at B&H
Still one of the best smart displays you can buy
The Lenovo Smart Display is just as impressive today as it was when it launched back in July. It looks great, has incredibly loud speakers, and we love the choice of the two different sizes it comes in.
LG XBOOM WK9
High quality sound
Great speakers can’t save it.
$247 at B&H
LG’s WK9 beats out the Lenovo Smart Display when it comes to sound quality, but that’s about the only area in which it’s a superior product. The design is objectively bad and there’s only one size option at 8-inches for the same price as the 10-inch Lenovo Smart Display.
