Samsung Intros The Samsung Home Hub
Among Samsung’s many CES 2022 announcements was the Samsung Home Hub, a portable 8.4 inch tablet designed to be a home controller for all connected SmartThings devices in the home. The device has voice assistant Bixby built in and will use AI to anticipate what users might need. The Home Hub sits vertically on a charging dock and has two microphones and two speakers. Samsung says at launch, the Home Hub will “be able to connect to every product within the SmartThings ecosystem.”
The NPD Take:
- Samsung’s Home Hub promises to bring control and monitoring of SmartThings devices together in one place. As users accumulate devices from multiple smart home platforms, the ability to control multiple device families will be crucial for users - the Home Hub will provide a distinct value to users if it can help with device interoperability (including smart appliances).
- This also presents a unique opportunity to drive more usage and value into Bixby, Samsung’s voice assistant.
Cync Expands Smart Home Line Up
Cync showed off an expansion of its product line up at CES 2022, introducing 11 new smart bulbs, an outdoor camera and its first smart thermostat. The company also announced its commitment to Matter, the new industry-wide standard for connectivity. Formerly a smart lighting brand, Cync has had aspirations of growing its lineup of smart devices. The lighting devices include six decorative bulbs that fit into lighting fixtures as well as a line of recessed lighting. All of the newly announced devices will be controllable via the Cync app and will be available in 1Q 2022.
The NPD Take:
- As consumers build their connected homes, they are adding new product categories, going from smart lighting into security cameras or another adjacent product area. Cync’s addition of new categories is an effort to retain brand loyalty among its lighting customers as well as a strategy to capture more users who are not yet using the Cync lighting system.
- The commitment to Matter is equally crucial, allowing Cync users to more closely incorporate other branded devices into their home systems.
More Brands Pledge Support For Matter
Matter, the smart home protocol aiming to unify device connectivity across brands and platforms, saw dozens of brands announce varying levels of support at CES 2022. Among the notable announcements were Nanoleaf, SmartThings, GE Lighting, and LG. According to the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Matter could be released as soon as the first half of 2022.
The NPD Take:
- Greater support for Matter and the interoperability it brings to devices will be a game changer for consumers. While interoperability is on the minds of most smart home device owners, adoption of Matter will help accelerate adoption among newer home automation product purchasers who have less background in the category (and are choosing from ever more brands on the market).
- Matter will also allow home automation consumers more freedom to buy the brands of their choice while also ensuring the products will work with other installed cameras, doorbells, voice assistants and other devices at home.