Lenovo has visited CES 2020 with a wealth of new products this year, including two smart photo frames that bring wildly different approaches to the market.
The first of Lenovo’s new gadgets is its Lenovo Smart Frame. Arguably the more interesting of the two gadgets, Smart Frame functions more like a traditional photo or artwork frame. Its primary purpose is to showcase images and artwork. The device comes loaded with a plethora of features and customization options. But it is, at its core, more about displaying stunning imagery than other functionality.
The second device, the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus, is a second-generation device built around Google Assistant. That delivers the full smart home package but with all of the perks of being an Android tablet, building on a similarly-branded product launched by the company late last year.
Lenovo Smart Frame
Lenovo Smart Frame consists of two primary parts. That’s a customizable frame which can easily be rotated into either landscape or portrait mode and a display. For the former, the company packs in a mounting system that is both clutter-free and easy to install. Lenovo designed the mount with cable management built-in so that cords don’t become a tangled mess.
The company will also offer the frame in a range of options at various prices to better match the internal decor. That’s because the second part of the gadget, its display, is intended to serve as smart home-ready artwork rather than a more standard smart home hub.
The Lenovo Smart Frame comes with a dedicated application and AI to help manage which photos are shown, maximizing the use of screen real estate. The app contains hundreds of art pieces for display too.
Better still, Lenovo’s digital photo frame features a dedicated color tone sensor. The Smart Frame uses that sensor to adjust the image’s brightness to better fit with a given room’s ambient lighting, ensuring the photo or artwork always looks its best and most natural in any condition. The included Ambient Mode provides date, time, and weather information over the top of photos, ensuring the photo frame isn’t solely aesthetic.
Finally, the company indicates that hand gestures can also be used to control the Lenovo Smart Frame. That includes playback of photo slides or videos that are being shown on the screen.
| Display | 21.5” IPS Panel w/ anti-glare coating |
| Screen resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Viewing Angle | 85 degrees |
| Processor | MediaTek 8167s |
| Operating System | Android AOSP 10.0 |
| Cloud Feature | Library of curated artwork |
| Speakers | 2 x 2 watt |
| Microphone | Single microphone array |
| Sensors | RGB Sensor (Ambient light) Gesture Sensor G, P, L Sensors |
| Networking | Wi-Fi: 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Installation | Snap-on mounting system (rotates portrait & landscape) and organizing cord system Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus 2nd Gen with Google Assistant |
Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus 2nd Gen with Google Assistant is more than a photo frame
Lenovo’s second photo frame acts more like a Google Assistant-powered smart home hub. Dubbed the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus, it’s a second-generation product and follows closely on the heels of another product recently launched by the company — the Lenovo Smart Tab M8.
In fact, it very nearly mirrors that prior tablet in everything but the size and a few alterations to the processor. There are two RAM variants available with three storage variants. On memory, Lenovo offers either 2GB or 4GB. For storage, the company is giving buyers the option to select 32GB, 64GB, or up to 128GB.
Like many Android tablets, there is a front and rear camera, a plethora of sensors, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, and plenty of Android 9 Pie goodies to spare. The company included two side-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos, a 5000mAh battery, and a 10.3-inch FullHD panel too. But this year’s CES launch from Lenovo also functions just like digital photo frames do and can do a whole lot more.
That’s because, like the Lenovo Smart Tab M8, this tablet is packed in with a smart-charging dock that attaches via pogo-pins and Google’s Ambient Mode for Google Assistant. While there’s also a USB-C port for charging, that means this device can serve as both a standard Android tablet and a Google Assistant smart home hub.
The feature means that when users have the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus docked, it more closely resembles a Nest Home Hub than an Android tablet. When it’s not being used to access those features, it automatically utilizes Google Photos to act as a digital photo frame when docked.
| Display | 10.3” FHD (1920×1200) IPS, 70.3% NTSC, 330 nits |
| SoC | MediaTek Helio P22T Tab, Octa-Core, 4 x A53 @ 2.3 GHz, 4 x A53 @ 1.8 GHz |
| RAM | 2/4GB |
| Storage | 32/64/128GB |
| Cameras | Front: 5MP fixed focus Rear: 8MP autofocus |
| Sensors | G-sensor, Vibrator, Hall sensor, P-sensor, L-sensor, Gyroscope |
| Audio | 2 x side speakers, tuned with Dolby Atmos Dual microphones (with dedicated DSP) |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi: 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Inputs/Outputs | 1 x USB 2.0 Type-C SD Card Slot 3.5mm Audio Jack 2-point pogo-pin |
| OS | Android 9 (Pie) |
| Colors | Iron Grey |
| Dock | Smart Charging Dock w/ Micro-USB power adapter |
| Dimensions | Length: 9.61 in (244.2 mm) Width: 6.03 in (153.3 mm) Height: 0.32 in (8.15 mm) |
| Weight | 1.01 lbs. (460 g) |
Pricing and availability for the new Lenovo photo frames
Lenovo did not take advantage of CES 2020 to provide an exact launch date yet for either of its new smart home photo frames. It did, however, provide two relatively small windows for homeowners’ who might be considering a purchase.
The first of the two products to land on market will be the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus 2nd Gen with the Google Assistant. Lenovo expects that to become available as early as April. The device absolutely falls into the budget-friendly end of the Android Tablet spectrum. Lenovo expects the MSRP to fall in at $189.99.
By contrast, the Lenovo Smart Frame will be arriving much later, in August of this year for North American customers. It will also be more expensive due to both its size and functionality. The company expects to sell the framed customizable 21.5-inch panels at a starting cost of $399.00. That price will undoubtedly vary chiefly based on the materials and colors chosen for the frame.