For a while now, we were starting to
believe that Samsung’s Bixby-powered smart speaker would keep existing as
vaporware. After all, it was first announced over a year ago, in 2018 alongside
the Galaxy Note9. Earlier today, Samsung Korea accidentally posted an announcement
article for the Galaxy Home Mini. The article was posted on Samsung Korea but
has since been taken down.
The post specified that the Galaxy Home
Mini will be arriving to Samsung’s home market of South Korea on February 12,
the very day after Samsung’s Unpacked event will take place in San Francisco.
The speaker is expected to arrive for KRW 99,000 (US$ 83).
Samsung intends to differentiate the
Galaxy Home Mini with IR remote control capabilities. It can be cumbersome to
adjust volume or switch tracks using only voice commands, and some customers
might prefer a more classic way to control their entertainment.
Samsung has delayed the Galaxy Home at
least a couple of times, perhaps to further refine Bixby, its in-house voice
assistant. Although the announcement mentioned Korea, we wonder when the Galaxy
Home Mini would arrive in Western markets. We expect to be hearing at least
some kind of acknowledgement of the Galaxy Home Mini at the Unpacked event next
week.
