Remember the Samsung Galaxy Home? Samsung’s first smart speaker was announced back in August 2018 alongside the Galaxy Note 9, but it was never released. The Samsung Galaxy Home Mini, however, is now in the works and looks set to beat it to market.
Here’s what we know about Samsung’s second attempt at a smart speaker, including its rumoured price and release date, and the features we expect.
Samsung Galaxy Home Mini release date
The Galaxy Home Mini is expected to launch on Tuesday, February 11, at the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
It’s been reported that the speaker will be released in South Korea first, on February 12, but considering what happened with the original Samsung Galaxy Home, we’ll believe that when we see it.
The Galaxy Home was supposed to hit the market in April 2019, which then became Q3 2019, which then became, well, never.
Image credit: SamMobile
Samsung Galaxy Home Mini price
As mentioned above, Samsung is expected to initially release the Galaxy Home Mini in South Korea only, and reports have claimed it will cost 99,000 KRW. That roughly converts to £65.
By comparison, here’s how much equivalent rival smart speakers are selling for:
- Google Home Mini − £49
- Google Next Mini − £49
- Amazon Echo Dot with clock − £59.99
- Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen − £49.99
Image Credit: SamMobile
Samsung Galaxy Home Mini features
Amazon has Alexa, Google has Google Assistant, Apple has Siri, and Samsung has… its work cut out trying to establish Bixby.
The virtual assistant launched with the Galaxy S8 in 2017, and quickly attracted ridicule for just not working especially well. Though I’m sure there are people out there that use Bixby, none of them appear to be based in Trusted Reviews’ office.
Bixby works across phones, tablets, smartwatches, TVs and home appliances, and is essentially supposed to do everything you’d expect a virtual assistant to: answer questions, play music, and let you control a range of smart devices.
The tweet below, posted by the prolific tipster Max Weinbach, shows a list of things you can ask Bixby:
Samsung Galaxy Home Mini pic.twitter.com/mvVwGPG4FZ
— Max Weinbach, enemy of Samsung (@MaxWinebach) February 8, 2020
As its name suggests, the Galaxy Home Mini will be a miniature version of the Galaxy Home that (never) came before it.
Thanks to Samsung, we already know what it looks like − it was on display at SDC19 last October. And since then, a handful of renders have surfaced too.
The caption accompanying the speaker at SDC called it an “AI Interface for Smart Home Everywhere,” making clear the focus will be on Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem.
Samsung also announced a beta testing programme for the device in South Korea in late August.
Image Credit: Samsung
Like the original Galaxy Home, audio will be tuned by AKG, and there’ll be an old-school-feeling IR function that lets you control non-smart devices with the speaker, as long as you’re nearby.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
