Samsung's Bixby-Powered HomePod Rival Launching In First Half Of 2018

Samsung isn't going to let Apple hog the smart speaker limelight early next year. A new report reveals the South Korea giant is preparing to introduce its Bixby-powered speaker in the first half of 2018, so it is now expected to go head-to-head with the Cupertino giant's HomePod. On Thursday, Bloomberg learned from people familiar with Samsung's plans that the South Korea tech company is planning to launch its Bixby-powered smart speaker in the first half of the following year. While this may seem like Samsung's entry to the voice-controlled devices market is coming in late, its release would just be enough for it to rival Apple's HomePod, which is already scheduled for launch in the first quarter. Since the Bixby-powered speaker will compete with not only the HomePod but also established smart speakers like Amazon's Echo series and Google's Google Home, Samsung is setting its new product apart from its rivals by promising a device that's strongly focused on audio quality and efficient management of connected home appliances. The Bixby speaker is also said to have the advantage of synchronizing seamlessly with Samsung TVs, Galaxy phones and other Samsung products.