Last year, Lenovo launched a rival to the Amazon Echo Show in the form of the Smart Display, adopting Google Assistant for voice control and smart home functionality. It will continue to utilise Google's digital assistant for future products too.
However, it is hedging its bets on which voice assistant customers would prefer to use with its Smart Tabs, as they embrace Alexa instead. Plus, while the Tab P10 and Tab M10 are 10-inch Android tablets, they each come with a Lenovo Smart Dock that transform them into a Show Mode smart screen device.
Amazon's Show Mode hit its own Fire tablets last year, with the Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 getting their own Show Mode Charging Docks that effectively turn them into Echo Shows when plugged in.
Now Lenovo is getting into the action.
The benefit of Lenovo's Smart Tabs is that they are both fully-fledged Android tablets to use around the home. When you want a smart display with everything that Alexa has to offer, you just plug either into their respective docks.
The Smart Dock has pogo pins connectors that automatically charge the Tabs and switch on Show Mode. It includes full-range 3W stereo speakers that have been Dolby tuned to amplify audio correctly.
When in tablet mode, each of the devices offers the ability to create profiles, so each family member can customise the content they want to access on their own homescreen. An optional fingerprint sensor can also be assigned for each family member, to sign them into their section automatically.
Both the Smart Tab P10 and M10 tablets are Full HD with the main difference being that the former has a more premium build. It has a dual glass design, all-metal framing, is 7mm thick and weighs just 440g.
The P10 also has a better rear camera – 8-megapixel over 5-megapixel – a larger battery, more RAM (4GB over 2/3GB) and double the storage (to 64GB).
It will cost $299.99 in the US and come in "aurora black". The M10 comes in "slate black" and will cost $199.99. Pre-orders for both start later this month.
UK pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
