Samsung Bixby Smart Speaker Might Be Revealed Alongside Galaxy Note 9

Samsung previously confirmed that it was working on its own smart speaker that’s powered by its Bixby digital assistant. Now, a new report claims that Samsung’s Bixby smart speaker might actually be released around the same time as the Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung's Bixby smart speaker could arrive “in the next month” and will be released “closely with the Galaxy Note 9,” according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. This has led to speculations that the device might debut during Samsung's Unpacked event in New York City on Aug. 9. It would make sense for Samsung to debut the Bixby smart speaker at its Unpacked event next month because the company is already expected to not just officially announce the Note 9, but also the Galaxy Watch and its new Android Galaxy Tab tablets. It's also important to point out that Samsung has already confirmed that Bixby 2.0 will be revealed alongside the Galaxy Note 9, so revealing the smart speaker at the same time seems like a good idea.

The report also gave some key details on what Samsung’s Bixby smart speaker will look like. Apparently, the device will have a “bowled shape, with a legged bottom and lights at the top.” The publication also mentioned that Samsung will market the device as “a high-end music player” that will arrive with a feature called “sound shifting.” The feature is said to enable the speaker to beam the audio in the direction where the user is giving out voice commands. Samsung’s smart speaker would most likely come with all of the same Bixby Voice features that are already available on the Galaxy smartphones. It’s also possible that the smart speaker will be able to function as a hub for Samsung’s SmartThings products.

The official product name of the Samsung Bixby smart speaker hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s being called internally as “Lux.” The smart speaker is also rumored to cost around $300, according to The Verge. This could be a great selling point since the Bixby smart speaker would be cheaper than the $399 Google Home Max and the $349 Apple HomePod. However, it would still be more expensive than the $100 Amazon Echo and the $199 Alexa-powered Sonos One.

There is also an update on Samsung’s foldable Galaxy X smartphone. The publication’s sources said that the foldable smartphone will arrive in “early 2019.” The device will have a 7-inch display that will be able to fold in half like a wallet, according to Engadget. Samsung will start selling the device to niche consumers and it might arrive with a very expensive price tag of more than $1,500. Samsung is hoping that it could deliver the device to a broader audience in the second half of 2019.