You'll need to go to Settings -> Google -> Account Services -> Search, Assistant & Voice -> Google Assistant -> Tablet -> Ambient Mode. Strangely, you have to jump through some hoops to turn it on. While the Yoga Smart Tab does have far-field microphones that will let you talk to Google Assistant, there's also an ambient mode that will show Assistant while you're not using the tablet. On the other side, there's a 3.5mm audio jack, a power button, and a volume rocker. This placement actually makes it really hard to hang the Yoga Smart Tab on the wall without it being crooked, but it is what it is. I'd say that they're perfect for some nice ambient music.įor charging, there's a USB 2.0 Type-C port on the side. The speakers are clear, but they're not exactly loud enough to rock the house. The Yoga Smart Tab uses dual JBL HiFi speakers that are optimized by Dolby Atmos, and you can use the Dolby Atmos app to optimize the sound. The speakers are on either side of the base. In fact, I ran into some issues with Google's Assistant's ambient mode, but we'll get into that later. This one doesn't seem to adjust when you turn the lights off instead, it just turns the screen off, so it's not an issue. The lack of OLED was one thing that I complained about on previous Lenovo smart displays, since you'd see a clear backlight when it only showed the time. I'd say it's about what you'd expect from a $299 device, getting the job done with accurate colors and a high resolution, but not going overboard with premium features like OLED or 4K resolution. The screen is pretty standard at 10.1 inches with a Full HD+ resolution (1920x1200), and it has pretty standard-sized bezels. It's an interesting option, since this doesn't seem like the type of device that you'd take on the go as much as you'd keep in your home. Apparently, there's a cellular model too that would let you include a nano-SIM card, but Lenovo didn't send me that one. Underneath the small kickstand in the back, which is popped open with a button, there's also a small flap that will let you add a microSD card. This form factor probably doesn't make sense when you first look at it, but it absolutely does when you use it. I want to use it as an e-reader for books, for comic books, and just for general consumption. I'm actually going to refer to the base as the spine because it reminds me of Amazon's Kindle Oasis, an e-reader that I love for the exact same reason. As it turns out, the thick base makes it really comfortable to hold the tablet one-handed. After all, like anyone that's used a tablet, I'm used to that familiar and flat form factor that's been used on every tablet since ever. I really thought it would be strange to use a tablet with such a wide base. In fact, you can even hang it on the wall if you want, which is quite nice with the Google Photos integration. What makes this unique is that you can actually use the tablet in different form factors based on how you fold that kickstand. What's strange is that it has a really thick base, and part of that base folds out as a kickstand. It just looks kind of awkward, and it doesn't really look like something that would be really good at anything. I have to say that when I first saw this device last year ahead of IFA, I was unimpressed. Ultimately, I found the Yoga Smart Tab to be the perfect smart display/tablet to keep in my living room. That was actually a more standard tablet that sat in a speaker dock to become a smart display, whereas this is all one device. Lenovo had a similar product last year called the Smart Tab P10, although that one used Amazon Alexa (no, I don't know why it chooses which assistant for which device, and no, Lenovo doesn't offer the same device with an option in assistants). Combining those into one device makes a lot of sense. This dual functionality is what's really interesting to me, because smart displays and tablets are both things that I don't use frequently, but I do like to use. The Yoga Smart Tab was first announced at IFA last year, and it's both a Google Assistant smart display and an Android tablet. What's really interesting is that the company is investing in more innovative form factors than first-party OEMs like Amazon and Google. Lenovo makes a wide range of digital assistant devices, some of which use Amazon Alexa and some of which use Google Assistant.
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