Google to Launch Assistant-Powered Smart Display Later This Year

BY Chethan Rao

Published 17 Aug 2018

Lenovo Smart Display

Following the moderate successes of the Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot, Google’s ambitions in the smart display segment are well documented. The company teamed up with multiple manufacturers back in January to bring smart displays to the market. Companies like Lenovo, LG, JBL, and Sony are on board as of now.

While Lenovo and LG’s offerings are making their way to the market already, a new report talks about Google launching dedicated AI-powered Smart Display hardware to deal with Amazon’s threat head-on.

Dubbed as a “smart speaker that comes with a screen,” this Google-made device is expected to hit the markets later this year, claims Nikkei. While these are early reports, it is believed that Google will call it the Pixel Slate or Screen.

As far as the features are concerned, it is believed to be packing a large display, possibly 10-inches in size diagonally, coupled with two microphones and a speaker for media content. Further, reports have mentioned that the device will have a battery underneath, allowing the device to run without an external power source. We have also ascertained that Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron will manufacture Google’s Smart Display.

A device like this will run Google Assistant and will support voice commands and allow users to control their smart-home products. Thanks to the large display on board, it is also possible to enjoy video content from YouTube. However, it’s unclear if Google will allow third-party streaming services on this particular device. The Echo Show can’t run Netflix by default, so we’re not too hopeful of seeing this feature on Google’s Smart Display.

It is likely that this product will run on Chrome OS rather than Android considering Google’s efforts on bridging the gap between the two platforms. There’s still a lot that we don’t know, so we’re going to reserve judgment until more information is available.

Would you like to see a Google-branded Smart Display in the market?

[Via Nikkei]