Dive Brief:

• Samsung made its official debut into the smart home market this week by introducing the Galaxy Home at the Note 9 event, reported TechCrunch. The sleek new device is as aesthetically pleasing as Apple's HomePod, complete with a cloth covering and a built-in tripod that allows it to stand anywhere.
• Samsung is keeping details under its belt, with no pricing or public launch release date being announced, TechCrunch reports.
• Jumping into a competitive space, Samsung will have to bring something unique to the table in order to compete with Amazon's Echo, Google's Home and Apple's HomePod — something more than its Bixby voice assistant technology. According to TechCrunch, the brand has already teamed up with Spotify to try and capture the streaming music crowd above and beyond the usual Galaxy users.

Dive Insight:

Samsung has officially entered the smart home market, offering a direct challenge to Amazon's Echo and Google's Home devices. But it could be an uphill battle as Amazon has already grabbed a good share of the market, selling 1 million smart home devices on this year's Prime Day alone, Retail Dive reported. And Amazon isn't stopping there: GeekWire reported Thursday the development of a new voice-command system for inside car entertainment centers. The Alexa Auto Software Development Kit includes calling, media streaming and navigation, all via the driver's commands.

Apple's HomePod was just released at the beginning of 2018 (after a delay), and analysts were already calling Apple late to the game. Plus, reviewers were harsh on the device, saying the company missed a great opportunity to sell the product during holiday discount sales. Others berated its expensive price point, $349, as well as the fact that it does not offer options at different price points like competitors Amazon and Google.

Therefore, Samsung will need to be strategic about when it officially releases Galaxy Home in order to catch the interest of as many consumers as possible. And as always, price will be critical to competing with Amazon, Google and Apple.

In addition, the device's interoperability will be important. According to a recent study by Parks Associates and reported in Retail Dive, 75% of consumers who plan to buy a smart home device believe it is essential that the item connects seamlessly to other products in their home's electronic network. In fact, the study deemed smooth connection between devices more important than brand loyalty.