Samsung's Galaxy Home is still far, far away at IFA 2019
The company talked up plenty of products at IFA in Berlin -- but it didn't say when it will sell its first smart speaker.
Samsung first talked about its Galaxy Home over a year ago.
Samsung's Galaxy Home is still a no-show.
The company introduced a range of new products Thursday at the IFA electronics show in Berlin, but it didn't mention the Galaxy Home. Samsung's held several events this year that have ignored the long-delayed smart speaker.
Samsung didn't have a new comment.
Samsung started talking about the Galaxy Home in early 2018, and it showed off the device during its Galaxy Note 9 unveiling last August. The cauldron-esque speaker is powered by the company's Bixby digital assistant, which was initially geared as an interface to control 2017's Galaxy S8. Samsung has expanded the technology into its various appliances and televisions. The Galaxy Home would be Bixby's first appearance in a smart speaker. We don't yet know exactly what the speaker will do or how much it'll cost.
When Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Home a year ago, it said it'd go on sale in the second half of 2018. It showed the smart speaker again during its developer conference in November but didn't specify the launch date. 2018 turned into 2019 with no sign of the Galaxy Home.
Then at the Galaxy S10 launch in February, Samsung co-CEO DJ Koh told CNET the device would go on sale by April. (Samsung PR simply said it would launch in the first half of 2019.) Another co-CEO -- Hyun-suk Kim, the head of the consumer electronics division -- told the Korea Herald in early June that the Galaxy Home would launch in the third quarter. Samsung didn't say anything about the Galaxy Home during its Note 10 launch last month but the company's PR department said after the event that it was still working on the device.
Samsung has been struggling in recent months. Consumers aren't buying as many pricey phones like the Galaxy S10 or Note 10 and are instead opting for cheaper models like the Galaxy A series. Samsung has been counting on 5G and foldables to turn around its mobile business, but it delayed the launch of its Galaxy Fold by five months after reviewers found problems with the foldable's display. At the same time, Samsung still hasn't launched the Galaxy Home smart speaker it unveiled a year ago.
The company typically used IFA , Europe's biggest electronics show, as the launch venue for its Note lineup, wearables and other devices. But for the past few years, it's opted to host an Unpacked event on its own. It introduced the Note 10, 10 Plus and 10 Plus 5G during a press conference in New York in early August.
At IFA this year, Samsung unveiled a new Galaxy A90 5G phone, a 5G-integrated Exynos 980 mobile processor and the AirDresser, a free-standing closet that can steam clean your clothes. It also said it will release its Galaxy Fold foldable device in Korea beginning Friday, followed by the UK, France, Germany and Singapore on Sept. 18. A press release said the US launch will come after those markets.
