Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem is among the most ubiquitous, especially if many of your appliances consist of intelligent Samsung products already. SmartThings also integrates well with third-party manufacturers and home assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, making devices connected to it easily controllable. But sometimes it’s still simpler to just use a touchscreen to command all of your devices with your fingertips rather than your voice, and that’s where Samsung’s new Home Hub comes in, introduced during CES 2022 (via The Verge).

The Home Hub is essentially an 8.4-inch tablet purposely built for giving you control over your SmartThings ecosystem, complete with a docking station. Samsung says it combines six of its SmartThings services into one device, with some AI technology supposedly working hard to always surface exactly what you need when you want to interact with it. The interface appears to be mostly identical to the SmartThings app on your Samsung phone or tablet, but having a dedicated device for this anytime you need something is probably a good idea — even though the question is, why shouldn't you just use a regular old Samsung tablet with the SmartThings app on it? For what it's worth, Samsung pitches The Home Hub as a device that "helps users streamline their chores and responsibilities on a shared device that everyone in the home can access."

SmartThings Energy is also on board to give you tips on how to save electricity

That's right, in contrast to Google’s and Amazon’s smart displays or even tablets, it looks Samsung’s solution will solely focus on smart home controls. Given that voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa routinely fail to understand your intents and instructions, having a display with all of your most used controls right at your fingertips might not be a bad idea, and it would definitely be an interface I would love to see on a Nest Hub. However, Samsung is also including Bixby on the Home Hub, and thanks to two built-in microphones and speakers and hotword detection when docked, you can use it like a smart speaker. But does anyone really want to talk to Bixby?

Samsung has also announced that it wants to make its SmartThings Hub a built-in feature for its 2022 TVs, smart monitors, and refrigerators. The SmartThings Hub is a bridge that connects all kinds of smart devices with each other using multiple standards, making the whole smart home experience possibile in the first place. Given that many are much more likely to purchase TVs or appliances rather than a glorified $300 router for specific devices, the move could give a significant boost to smart home adoption.

The Samsung Home Hub is coming first to Korea in March and will launch internationally later this year. Samsung has yet to reveal details surrounding pricing and exact timing.

UPDATE: 2022/01/06 06:30 EST BY MANUEL VONAU

Further details

The article has been updated with further technical details and availability.