Samsung's smart speaker sits out S20 debut

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Bixby made an appearance at this week's Unpacked hardware event but the Samsung Galaxy Home and Galaxy Home Mini remain MIA.

Despite earlier rumors suggesting the company's smart speaker was finally gearing up for an overdue launch, neither the Samsung Galaxy Home nor the Galaxy Home Mini got a mention amidst the debut of the new Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Samsung CEO DJ Koh previously told CNET that the Galaxy Home was due to land in April 2019. Then, after it didn't, Samsung adjusted their plans and told The Verge that the speaker would arrive by June. It didn't. So Consumer Electronics CEO, Kim Hyun-suk clarified to the Korea Herald that the Bixby box was definitely still happening and totally going to launch in middle of the second half of 2020.

Safe to say, this did not happen. At this stage, it almost feels like Samsung are just hoping everyone forgets about this product they announced almost two years ago.

While the troubled launch of the Apple HomePod doesn't suggest there's much room in the smart speaker market for products that don't rely on Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Samsung Galaxy Home and Galaxy Home Mini are expected to differentiate themselves through seamless integration with Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem, AKG audio specs and a built-in IR controller.

Assuming either product ever launches, anyway.