Samsung Might Launch A HomePod Competitor In 2018
Smart home tech is the new thing and tech giants like Google and Amazon already have a vast variety of products to offer in this segment. Apple unveiled its HomePod back in June and it was slated to be launched in December 2017 but, its release has now been pushed to early-2018. To compete with the HomePod and possibly the Google Home Max, Samsung will be launching it Bixby-powered smart speaker in early-2018 as well.
Sources briefed on the plans tell Bloomberg that Samsung’s smart speaker “will have a strong focus on audio quality and the management of connected home appliances such as lights and locks.”
Like a lot of smart speakers, beyond just playing music and syncing up with your phone, the Samsung speaker will also join the SmartThings ecosystem. The report did not include any further details, but theoretically, you will be able to talk to your Samsung speaker to turn on lights, set the temperature in your home and more.
Although the pricing and availability of the speaker are still not confirmed, Samsung is said to be targeting somewhere around US $200 for the price point of the smart speaker. That would place it in between of the US $100 Amazon Echo and the $349 HomePod that Apple will release early next year.