Samsung reportedly working on smaller, more affordable smart speaker

Key Highlights: Even though the recently announced Galaxy Home speaker is yet to become available, Samsung is reportedly working on a second smart speaker The model number revealed indicates the speaker will be smaller and more affordable than the present one.   The weirdly shaped Samsung Galaxy Home speaker powered by Bixby was announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 back in August. Yet, five months after its announcement, the speaker’s status is still “coming soon” on the Samsung website. Meanwhile, another smart speaker is reportedly being developed by Samsung. All that is known so far is that the new Galaxy Home speaker will be offered in a black colour finish and will carry the model number SM-V310. Compared with the present Galaxy Speaker’s model number, SM-V510, it seems like the one under development will be a smaller speaker. It could also be more affordable than one announced so far, although the price is still not disclosed. The Galaxy Home speaker that Samsung announced earlier has a combination of AKG-tuned speakers, 8-piece far-field microphones, and Bixby AI. Perhaps the smaller speaker will have a smaller microphone array minus the AKG branding, but everything at this point is conjecture at best. Samsung does have something lined up for CES, which is due to begin on 8th January in Las Vegas. Perhaps that’s when the company will reveal more about the speaker. At CES, Samsung is expected to announce new TVs and displays along with other smart home appliances. The flagship Galaxy S10 series, however, is expected to launch on February 20th, five days before MWC commences in Barcelona. The smart speaker market is currently dominated by Amazon’s Alexa-powered devices and Google Home speakers. Both companies offer products across a broad price range. Microsoft too announced a Cortana-powered smart speaker while HomePod is Apple’s offering in the smart speaker space. The market for smart speakers, according to IDC is expected to grow in double-digits and by 2022. Over 1.3 billion smart home products are expected to be sold.   Related Links: Samsung working on a Bixby-powered speaker codenamed 'Vega': WSJ

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