January 17,2022
We finally have a release date for Samsung's Galaxy Home Mini, if reports are to be believed
by David Stewart
It's been more than 18 months since Samsung first announced it would be releasing a smart speaker, called the Galaxy Home, and we're still yet to know when we can get our hands on it.
Yet that hasn't stopped the Korean tech giant from reportedly revealing a miniature version will launch ahead of this year's Mobile World Congress, and a day after Samsung's own Unpacked event , on 12 February.
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The reports come via SlashGear , which claims the Galaxy Home Mini will try to stand out from the crowd with the inclusion of an infrared function. This means, in theory, the speaker could be controlled by a standard IR remote control. Not exactly groundbreaking, but Samsung could surprise us.
Elsewhere, the report continues that the Galaxy Home Mini will feature speakers tuned by Samsung-owned AKG and be powered by Samsung's own Bixby Voice Assistant.
It is expected to launch in Samsung's home country of South Korea on 12 February at around 99,000 KRW, which directly converts to £64. If this is an accurate price, it well and truly makes it an affordable option and beats Apple's £279 HomePod by more than £200.
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If this report is to be believed, we'd expect to see the Galaxy Home Mini officially shown off to the public at the Unpacked event on the 11 February, and we could finally get a launch date – or at least an update – on the Galaxy Home.
The Galaxy Home was first unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event in New York alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
It was shown with chromed tripod legs and a bulb-shaped body, resembling a cauldron, with a touch panel on the top. No other specifications were revealed.
A year after this grand unveiling, in August 2019, a Samsung spokesperson confirmed: "We're continuing to refine and enhance the Galaxy Home prior to launch, and look forward to sharing more with Galaxy fans soon," and the speaker had been (incorrectly) expected to be released by the end of 2019.
