CES 2017: Lenovo Announces Amazon Alexa-Powered Connected Smart Speaker - MacRumors
Skip to Content

CES 2017: Lenovo Announces Amazon Alexa-Powered Connected Smart Speaker

by

PC maker Lenovo today announced its first smart speaker with Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant built in.

Called the Lenovo Smart Assistant, the connected speaker integrates Amazon's Alexa Voice Services and offers the same speech-activated features as the Echo family of devices, but housed in a slightly redesigned unit.

Lenovo-smart-assistant-all-colors_678x452
The speaker keeps the same cylindrical profile as Amazon's Echo, but with the microphone portion of the device in a slightly raised position, which Lenovo says offers better ventilation to cool the internal components. Lenovo's unit also has eight far-field microphones versus Echo's seven, with noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation included for picking up voice commands from up to 16 feet away.

The Lenovo Smart Assistant comes in a range of color schemes including green, gray, and orange fabric. The speakers will ship in May for a price of $130 (less than Amazon's Echo at $180). Lenovo is also offering a Harman Kardon edition of the Smart Assistant featuring better sound quality for $180.

Amazon's Alexa Voice Services API is expected to crop up in a number of new third-party products at this year's CES. Microsoft has previously teased third-party devices using its own Cortana virtual assistant technology.

Tags: Amazon Echo, CES 2017, Lenovo

Top Rated Comments

Aluminum213 Avatar
Aluminum213
122 months ago
Amazon echo really is a great device to have in the house, Apple is so far behind in this market
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
Nicksd84
122 months ago
I really don't see the appeal of these devices at all, I hope Apple does not waste any resources building a speaker of their own.
Have you owned/used one? They are quite handy and the voice recognition ability of a stand-alone device is infinitely better than a smartphone
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aluminum213 Avatar
Aluminum213
122 months ago
I think it's a fair assumption Apple is working on their version of a home assistant. Apple is typically late in releases, but they will deliver a premium product with features other competitors didn't execute. Leave it to Apple and you know it will sell. Guaranteed. I'm waiting to see what they bring to the market. Likely sooner than later.
Siri is by far the worst voice assistant on the market, my expectations are close to zero

But I'm sure it will be pretty to look at while it collects dust
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4
44267547
122 months ago
Amazon echo really is a great device to have in the house, Apple is so far behind in this market
I think it's a fair assumption Apple is working on their version of a home assistant. Apple is typically late in releases, but they will deliver a premium product with features other competitors didn't execute. Leave it to Apple and you know it will sell. Guaranteed. I'm waiting to see what they bring to the market. Likely sooner than later.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike Oxard Avatar
Mike Oxard
122 months ago
Amazon echo really is a great device to have in the house, Apple is so far behind in this market
I think apple must be working on this. With the death of the Airport express they now no longer have an audio airplay product. An Echo style solution for Siri would fill that gap. I just wish they'd hurry up as I might end up getting an echo!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Return Zero Avatar
Return Zero
122 months ago
Honestly, I love these devices except for the privacy issue. By no means am I about to allow google or amazon to have an always-available microphone in my house.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Read Full Article
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in September With These 10 New Features

Saturday May 9, 2026 6:03 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
Read Full Article
Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black Touch ID

Apple Watch Series 12 and watchOS 27: What to Expect Later This Year

Friday May 8, 2026 2:07 pm PDT by
While not too much has been reported about the next Apple Watch models, there are a few rumors about potential design changes and watchOS 27 features. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models are expected to be released in September, and we have outlined some of the key rumored hardware and software changes below. A new Apple Watch SE is not expected this year, as that model was...
Read Full Article • 59 comments