It has been almost two years since Samsung revealed the Bixby-powered Galaxy Home smart speaker, and a smaller version was announced in 2019, but neither product has actually been released yet. Now it looks like at least the Galaxy Home Mini will see the light of day, according to a now-removed Samsung press release.

Samsung published an announcement on its South Korean website earlier today, but the company removed it a short time later. The post revealed that the Galaxy Home Mini will be released in South Korea on February 12 for 99,00 KRW, approximately $83. Pre-orders will apparently go live sometime before then through Samsung's online store.

We already knew the Galaxy Home Mini is a smart speaker, equipped with four IR remote transmitters that allow it to control IR-based appliances even without a network connection. It has a rounded mesh design, similar to the Google Nest Mini, with AKG branding on the top.

There are some additional details in the now-deleted announcement, though this is translated from Korean:

'Galaxy Home Mini' can freely control various devices through voice commands through Bixby. Two microphones are built in to support speech recognition over long distances.

'Galaxy Home Mini' allows you to make, receive and send and receive messages with just your voice without connecting your smartphone. When connected with an external sensor, it detects emergency situations such as fire, smoke and leaks and provides notifications quickly. It also tells you if your appliance is working or when it needs to be replaced.

The Galaxy Home Mini is also equipped with AKG's powerful 5W speakers, offering a live multimedia viewing experience with 360-degree surround sound.

'Galaxy Home Mini' provides music ear listening function that allows you to seamlessly listen to the music you've heard on your Galaxy smartphone from the outside, and you can also enjoy the same music anywhere in your home by using the 'Multi Room Speaker' function.

There's no word on when we can expect a release outside of South Korea. The reported release date is the day after Samsung's Unpacked event, so maybe we'll hear more about the speaker there.

Source: Samsung (now deleted)

Via: TizenHelp