Samsung’s press conference was a little different than usual: rather than walk members of the media through each new product in the line, category by category, Samsung took a more holistic approach, focusing on its goals for 2023 and beyond. The ambitious goals, as they called them, include making tech connectivity easier and more seamless across the home.
JH Han, Vice Chairman, CEO, and Head of the Device Experience division, discussed how customers simply want everything to work. “We see this as an opportunity,” he added. With more than 14 billion connected device in use today, it’s important that they work smoothly and safely together rather than in isolation, he said.
Samsung is working hard towards making this a reality with initiatives like the Samsung Device Experience (DX), which was introduced last year, and interoperability among devices in the home, car, and work.
Currently, Samsung says more than 80 million devices are connected to its SmartThings ecosystem. With partnerships with the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA) and Matter, Samsung is furthering its reach within a connected home world.
For Samsung, it’s also about making the experience personal to you. For example, SmartThings pet care can alert you if a dog is barking so you can put on a show, music, or video to keep them entertained. While working out, you can use the camera on a TV to show your smart trainer how you’re doing.
Further related to the connected home, Samsung confirmed a partnership with Philips Hue. The Philips Hue Sync app will be downloadable to Samsung TVs and will allow Hue lighting to sync with content playing on a Samsung TV.
From the perspective of the car, the Harman Ready Care platform uses machine learning to measure things like driver drowsiness and can work alongside a device like a Galaxy Watch to identify stress levels. If it senses your focus is decreasing or stress rising, it can send you personalized reminders, change the temperature inside the car, adjust vehicle interior lighting, the volume of the radio, and more to help you stay present.
The Samsung SmartThings Station
A new product that will help bring everything together both in the home and out is the SmartThings Station, a smart home hub that also doubles as a fast-charging pad. It is compatible with a variety of smart home devices, including Matter products, allowing you to automate the home, set routines, reduce energy, and more. Simply follow pop-up messages on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to guide through the set-up process, then scan the QR code on devices with the smartphone camera to set them up easily. Use the Hub to connect everything from thermostats to lighting, power outlets, and more. Press the Smart Button on the Station to quickly activate a routine, like turning on the TV and dimming the lights. You can trigger up to three routines with a short press, long press, and double press; you can also use the app.
As a device scanner, the SmartThings Station can also keep track of the location of all your registered Samsung devices, including smartphones, tablets, watches, and earbuds, as well as belongings like keys or a wallet with a Galaxy SmartTag or SmartTag+. Doubling as a wireless charging, it offers 15W power with fast charging, and alerts when charging is completed. SmartThings Station will launch in the U.S. and Korea in February 2023.
Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings at Samsung, says the goal is to make the connected world “easier and more intuitive” for users, to create “a foundation for a more efficient and intuitive future.”