Welcome to the World of Smart Clocks
Smart speakers have become the norm in most homes these days. Ever since the release of Google Home and Amazon Echo, the market for smart devices has expanded exponentially. The latest addition to the line up is speakers with screens, known as a smart clock or smart alarm clocks. At their very core, these speakers are just clocks.
With the Internet becoming a revolution in the tech industry, everything is getting connected to the WiFi. It only makes sense for the traditional clocks to have smart features as well. Besides, they can make a great addition to your home, especially your nightstand.
What Do Smart Clocks Do?
You could argue that these devices should not be called clocks, as they can do so much more than just telling time or waking you up in the morning. However, the brands that are producing these new speakers are calling them smart clocks. So, the underlying purpose of these devices is to tell you time in a more advanced way.
Smart clocks feature a touchscreen that is usually similar to the size of the average smartphone screen. It displays time, but the touchscreen is also an interface for you to do a lot more. Many of these devices have the quintessential voice-controlled assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. Here’s what you can do with smart clocks.
Set Alarms
One of the primary functions of these clocks, like any other alarm clock, is to wake you up in the morning. But setting the alarm is a lot smoother than how your parents or grandparents would. Simply tell the device what time you want to wake up at, and boom, your alarm is set. You may also be able to snooze or stop the alarm swiftly.
Check the Weather
Since these devices have a display screen, they can show you the weather as well. Unlike smart speakers, you might not even have to ask for the weather.
Connect With Other Smart Devices
The advantage of a clock being smart is that you can connect with other smart home devices and your phone. You can ask for the news, call an Uber, and make notes, via the smart clock.
Light Control
Some smart clocks can automatically adjust their brightness. They can also use light to create a sort of sunrise in your bedroom when the time for you to wake up approaches by the minute.
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Pros of Smart Clocks
Many of the advantages for a smart clock are already present in smart speakers on the market and, of course, your phone. However, the display screen of the alarm clock is changing the whole game.
Here are some of the benefits:
- It’s a clock at the end of the day and can really help with time management
- You get accurate time everywhere, even when you conveniently forget about daylight savings
- The clock can double as a smart home device, at least to some extent
- Some features like sleep monitoring can help improve your sleep quality
- Handsfree operations lets you control the device through voice commands
- It looks quite pretty in the bedroom, giving it a contemporary vibe
Cons of Smart Clocks
While technology is top notch, you might wonder if you even need it in the first place. As mentioned before, most of the features you get with these smart alarm clocks are already there on your phone or smart speaker.
Also, these can be expensive too, which begs the question if they are worth the money. With that said, if you have not yet dipped your feet into the smart speaker market, a smart clock could be a handy way to start.
Top Smart Clocks
There are plenty of companies getting in on the action and producing smart clocks with exciting features. Some are gaining a lot of popularity and the features justify that.
Lenovo Smart Clock
The Chinese tech giant Lenovo has one of the best-selling smart clocks in the market. The design is amazing, as it takes minimal space. The screen is only four inches, which is ample for it to display time and weather.
While it offers all the essential functions you would expect from a smart clock, Lenovo’s smart clock does not provide smart home control functionality. The most useful feature is perhaps the USB port on its back that you can use to charge your phone. There’s no more getting up from the bed in the middle of the night to charge your phone.
Amazon Echo Show
Amazon continues to dominate the smart speaker market, so it is fair to say they will also take a big chunk of smart clocks. The Echo Show was the first smart speaker from Amazon with a display screen. It’s sort of a smart clock, but it is also a mini TV, internet browser and a pretty good speaker.
Amazon Echo Spot
This is truly a smart clock from Amazon that resembles a clock too. Its orb shape is perfect for the nightstand. It displays time and weather, but also has a camera and a speaker. You can use the camera for video chat right from your bed.
iHome Smart Clock
The iHome iAVS16 is a remarkable smart clock with Alexa enablement. This one also has buttons for those who are still more comfortable with pressing buttons. With a powerful speaker, this model can tune the music you hear to the alarm in the morning. The display is basic, but it can connect with your smart home devices.
Final Thoughts
You will see a lot of smart clocks in the bedrooms in the near future. As we gradually move towards complete smart homes, these little alarm clocks will serve as the building block. If you already have smart home devices, you can get a smart clock to build your arsenal of WiFi enabled gadgets. And for what it is worth, you might just improve your time management skills after all.