Samsung insists the Galaxy Home isn't dead, but does anyone care anymore?
In addition to the beloved headphone jack and sometimes useful microSD card slot (the latter on the smaller Galaxy Note 10 variant only), Samsung notably got rid of the universally despised dedicated Bixby button with the introduction of the company's newest high-end handset duo (trio if we also count the 5G-enabled Note 10+).
Of course, the virtual assistant is still there, but after two and a half years of aggressive efforts to challenge the likes of Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, Samsung appears to be toning things down all of a sudden, presumably working in a more discreet fashion on improving something that's not all that bad... if you give it a chance. Oddly enough, the Bixby-powered Galaxy Home never got a chance of its own to prove it can take on the likes of the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod.
Teased all the way back in August 2018, alongside none other than the Galaxy Note 9, the three-legged smart speaker was trapped in limbo for the past year, with several vague launch windows confirmed and missed, and more promises the device would eventually see daylight than we can count. You can probably guess where this is going, as Samsung stayed mum on Galaxy Home release info and features during the Note 10 announcement event yesterday only to confirm shortly thereafter that the thing is still alive.
What's taking so long, you ask? Well, apparently, Samsung is in the process of "refining and enhancing the Galaxy Home prior to launch"... a full 12 months after initially announcing the gadget. There's essentially nothing else to share at the moment, apart from a generic statement about the company "looking forward" to bring Galaxy fans more news "soon", so basically, we know just as much as we did back when the Note 9 was the new kid on the Android block.
Hopefully, we won't be in the exact same position after the Galaxy S11 is unveiled, but right now, anything seems possible. Including a Galaxy Home release before the holidays. After all, if Samsung can pull off a functional foldable smartphone design (allegedly), how hard could it be to roll out a "premium" smart speaker with Bixby assistance, AKG sound, and smart home controls?
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