Recently Stuff took a look at LG’s smart speakers (you can catch that in the upcoming issue of the magazine), a range that carries the company’s XBOOM branding. Now there’s already something slightly newer on the horizon — the LG XBOOM AI ThinQ WK9.

This is a smart speaker as well but the LG XBOOM AI ThinQ WK9 is slightly different from plain old audio tech. The WK9 contains something that no right-minded speaker would be without these days — a screen. Which kinda makes it a tablet with very, very large speakers. Kinda.

LG’s WK9 features support for Google Maps, Photos, YouTube, as well as Android Things — allowing it to act as part of a smart, connected-home network. The 8in touchscreen and built-in camera allow for video calls and LG have included Google Assistant and their own Meridian Audio technology. If you’re looking for a Google Home that wasn’t made by Google, this is a fairly close second.

The only tough thing to swallow for this US-only (for now) device is the price. It’s set to retail for $300 (R4,300) but there is an American Black Friday launch price of $200 (R2,850) for LG’s smart home contender. If you must have one and you know some folks on the other side of the pond, you should get them to elbow crowds in the face on your behalf this Friday.

Unlike LG’s lineup of XBOOM speakers, we’re not expecting the WK9 to launch in South Africa any time soon. Competing devices, from Amazon, Google, and even Facebook, haven’t launched here yet and there’s no reason for LG to break with that trend yet.

Source: Engadget