So-called smart speakers became the darling of every big tech company in the last three years, with Amazon, Google, and Apple all trying to push their digital assistants as a complementary and indispensable part of their locked-in ecosystems.

Display High-resolution, bright, quality screen; Design It looks good , and the bamboo is right at home in modern decor; Recipes The best cooking assistant I've ever had, the step-by-step verbal instructions make it a lot easier to whip something up at the end of the day.

Sound Gets loud enough, but quality doesn't compare to display-less smart speakers at the same price point. Don't buy it for the sound quality; Functionality differences Compared to using an Assistant-powered speaker, I've noticed some commands don't seem to work quite so well or as regularly,...

This is one of those rare instances in which we were surprised by a product we were initially skeptical about. Let's face it: isn't the target audience for a Google-based product, and Lenovo has a mixed reputation. With a first-gen product, we were prepared for something mediocre.

Lenovo’s Smart Display brings show & tell to the Google Assistant, adding a touchscreen to the smart speaker and taking on Amazon’s Echo Show in the process. First of a series of display-enabled Assistant devices to make it to shelves, Lenovo’s gadget aims to win a spot on your kitchen counter or...

Lenovo's design is sleeker than Echo Show; 10-inch touchscreen is bright and colorful; Google Assistant is increasingly full-functioned; Privacy shutter for camera is welcome

Third-party integrations vary in how good they are; Touchscreen can feel underutilized at times; No support for G Suite accounts; Duo video calls can be temperamental

Back in January of this year, Google Assistant took over CES 2018. It didn’t take long to find out why. The Google Assistant was getting a display. It was announced that LG, JBL, and Lenovo would all be releasing displays with Google Assitant. Now, the Lenovo smart Display is finally upon us .

Such a beautiful hardware design; The display is rich and vibrant; Google Assistant is still the best AI; The price is fair for the functionality; Great software design

The sound is good but not amazing; This may not be for you if you're not tied to Google services; It needs services like Hulu and Netflix

The Lenovo Smart Display is today’s best implementation of smart displays, regardless of the platform (Google vs. Amazon) and that’s probably why Google worked with Lenovo to launch his one first.

Very agreable; but sturdy design; Largest snmart display; Ease of use and setup

Slightly more expensive

So what can you do with a display and camera-equipped Google Home smart device? Well, with a Google Assistant-enabled device like this, if you're familiar with how things work on Android, it's mostly similar.

Stylish; minimal; modern design; Excellent audio quality; Powered by Google Assistant; Punchy; crisp; large touch display

10-inch model is pricey; Some services not supported yet; No power off functionality

Let's return to the question posed at the beginning of this review: do you need the Google Assistant to have a screen, a face of sorts, that gives you tangible opportunities to interact with it?

Minimalist yet quirky design; Loud speakers; Physical mic-off and camera shutter toggles; Suggested followup commands make it easier to know what to say next; YouTube experience is actually not bad, thanks to Google's search capabilities; Good video calls with Google Duo.

Still no lexicon of acceptable commands and their functions; No way to see your YouTube subscription feed; Currently, Google Duo is the only program that supports portrait orientation; Sending messages isn't supported yet; Continued Conversation feature not yet supported on this device.

Lenovo's Smart Display is a perfect example of how voice-controlled smart speakers are better with a touchscreen.

Big ; sharp ; and responsive touchscreen ; Excellent far-field microphones ; Good clear speaker ; Physical camera privacy shutter ; Retro design

Kinda big for kitchens ; Only has a single speaker

Remember the Google Assistant-powered smart display devices that Google and its partners first unveiled way back at CES? The first options are starting to arrive now for purchase. Lenovo’s Smart Display arrives tomorrow, July 27, to be exact, and we’ve been playing with one for about a week now...

If you plan on buying a smart display this year, go with Lenovo's stylish option. At CES 2018, Google announced a new product line in the form of smart displays powered by Google Assistant , and at the same time a select few companies announced they were planning on bringing to market their versions...