CES 2024: Samsung Bets on SmartThings
Like many people, I have an old SmartThings hub that powers one or two legacy smart devices. But I recently opened the SmartThings app for the first time in years and discovered that Samsung is making some moves in the background—and it looks like there will be more to come. If Samsung’s CES 2024 presentation on Monday was any indication, the company is betting big on SmartThings in the future.
SmartThings was first, but hasn’t been on top for a long time
In the beginning, if you wanted to be part of the Internet of Things, you had to buy what SmartThings was selling. At the time, it was an independent company that sold the SmartThings hub along with branded sensors and bulbs, but soon stopped making its own devices to focus on being an all-in-one hub for the emerging smart device market, and was eventually acquired by Samsung . Over the years, Apple, Amazon, and Google have developed their own hubs and voice assistants that have become the leading smart home hubs on the market. SmartThings no longer has the same market share and utility as the big three.
All along, Samsung has certainly been making smart technology, including a whole world of connected devices, smart TVs and wireless speakers that compete with Sonos, but they’ve always been under the Samsung banner. But at CES, Samsung showed us an ambitious yet fully realized SmartThings experience that could challenge the status quo.
Forget about separate smart displays – that’s what your TV is for
Samsung has thought seriously about the devices that the whole family has already rallied around: the refrigerator and TV. (Which, coincidentally, Samsung already makes .) Samsung’s line of TVs already has smart features, but the latest TVs will now become your daily digital hub, offering highly customizable options that you can treat like any other display center. Use it to control connected devices, monitor automation, and receive updated news and alerts about the smart ecosystem in your home.
They added theBixby voice assistant, which seems necessary to really compete with Apple, Amazon and Google. I’ve been testing out a new Samsung TV for the past month. While I don’t think Bixby is ready for prime time yet (it’s so sensitive that it kept reacting to TV dialogue and I had to turn it off), it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
Monitoring these devices will be a completely different experience for most people as they move to a 3D model of your home that can visualize where every sensor, light, appliance, pet and person is at any given moment. (Samsung Galaxy already makes wearables for most of your family, and the new SmartTag2 will track your pet’s location and health and let you know when your pup has a racing heart.)
A truly connected home
Samsung already has the Family Hub GUI on its refrigerators; they’ll also get an updated SmartThings experience that brings artificial intelligence to their device stacks. In the case of the refrigerator, it will now be able to detect what food you’ve run out of and help you replace it.
Samsung has unveiled an AI upgrade for laundry with the Samsung Bespoke AI All-In-One Laundry Combo and Laundry Hub, which uses new technology to better determine what’s being washed and how to do it efficiently, even with the goal of making your clothes stand out less microplastics. from your clothes. In the kitchen, AI will monitor water vibrations in pots, induction cooktops and hobs to make minor adjustments to settings, and can also remind you that you left the oven door open.
The new Bespoke Jet AI robot vacuum will comb the floors of your home and, in addition to vacuuming and mopping, will also help create a detailed map of your surroundings. (I was impressed with the wireless Jet AI I reviewed last month, and I’m hoping this floor robot will do the same.)
Ballie – an artificial assistant that rolls around your home
Ballie is the culmination of Samsung’s investments in artificial intelligence: a physical robotic assistant powered by artificial intelligence. It’s an apt name for a bowling ball-shaped bot, which of course wasn’t the only robot at CES. This isn’t even the first time we’re introduced to Bally; it’s just received a few updates since we last saw it .
Yes, Ballie is essentially a smart hub that answers your queries, makes phone calls and tells the occasional joke – but these AI bots promise to do so much more. Bally projects a video onto the floor in front of you, whether it’s a video to keep your pet occupied or a video demonstration of someone making the gnocchi you’re trying to get right. As Ballie rolls around the house, it is designed to be part of the family, welcoming you, interacting with your children and pets, and anticipating your needs. For now, however, Ballie remains an ambitious product—no price or release date has been disclosed.
Will 2024 be the year of SmartThings?
In many ways, Samsung is well positioned to dominate the connected home market; it has everything that no other brand has: a thriving mobile ecosystem under the Galaxy brand, a well-developed consumer computing division and relationship with Microsoft, a fully mature home appliance market share, an outstanding TV reputation. a market and probably a hub that still hangs out in every home of die-hard smart tech enthusiasts.