Samsung’s president of its mobile division, DJ Koh, has confirmed that the South Korean tech giant is planning to introduce its own smart speaker in the near future as work on the device is currently ongoing, according to a new report. Even though Koh has revealed Samsung’s mart speaker plans he has also refused to provide specific details about the device’s availability and pricing, and only mentioned that the product will be unveiled soon.
While most smart speakers already available on the market feature a digital assistant for voice controls, it is not immediately known whether Samsung’s upcoming smart home device will be powered by its own Bixby Voice. Nevertheless, the possibility that Bixby Voice could be included in the said smart speaker is highly likely given that Samsung recently rolled out the AI assistant to more than 200 countries across the globe, where it can be activated through voice commands on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus handsets in various languages. Speculations about the South Korean original equipment manufacturer’s smart speaker effort first surfaced in June of this year in a move seen as a response to Google Home and Amazon Echo, with Samsung having recently received a patent for a connected speaker design. The patent was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this May for a screen-equipped smart speaker, along with a patent for a new Galaxy Note device.
Last month, it was reported that the smart speaker was referred to by the codename “Vega” in its development phase. This is not the first time, however, that Samsung is making inroads on this segment. The company’s subsidiary, Harman International Industries, has been helping to develop a Cortana-powered smart speaker called Invoke in collaboration with Microsoft. Nevertheless, Samsung’s confirmation of its connected speaker initiative indicates the company’s eagerness to further its stake in this segment. Samsung is expected to reveal more updates about its smart speaker plan in the near future as work on the said product is underway, though it’s unclear if Samsung will reveal any more details on it at IFA or if it will be a bit of a longer wait before any concrete information comes from the company.