What you need to know
- Samsung has said that it still plans to launch the Galaxy Home but hasn't confirmed a specific timeframe.
- The Bixby smart speaker is apparently being refined prior to its launch.
- Galaxy Home debuted alongside the Galaxy Note 9 in August last year.
Samsung Electronics CEO Kim Hyun-suk had said in June that the company's Galaxy Home smart speaker would go on sale in the third quarter of the year. However, it now looks like the Bixby smart speaker may miss its targeted launch timeframe yet again.
A Samsung spokesperson told The Verge by email:
We're continuing to refine and enhance the Galaxy Home prior to launch, and look forward to sharing more with Galaxy fans soon.
Sadly, the company has still not revealed the reason behind the unusually long delay. It has now been a year since the Bixby smart speaker was announced and Samsung still hasn't confirmed a specific release date or how much the device will cost when it finally hits retail shelves.
A smaller version of the Galaxy Home was revealed in May this year, courtesy of an FCC filing. It is possible that the smaller smart speaker will go on sale alongside the Galaxy Home, although we wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't. The smaller Bixby smart speaker, which could perhaps be called the Galaxy Home Mini, will have a round design with touch controls placed on the top. Just like the Galaxy Home, the smaller version will have its audio tuned by AKG.
Even if Samsung does manage to begin shipping the Galaxy Home and its smaller version before the end of September, it remains to be seen if the Bixby-based duo can help the company make an impact in the highly competitive smart speaker segment.
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