Samsung's new Home Hub wants to be the ultimate smart home controller

SmartThings here, StartThings there, SmartThings is going to be everywhere.

What you need to know

• Samsung announced the Home Hub, a smart home controller display for SmartThings connected devices.
• The device will debut first in Korea, and there's no word on global expansion.
• SmartThings Hub is being integrated into more of Samsung's smart home appliances.
• Samsung has also become a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance.

Samsung's CES presence didn't end with the launch of the long-awaited Galaxy S21 FE. On Tuesday, the company took to the stage to announce its latest efforts in the smart home space and SmartThings, Samsung's connected ecosystem. While the company announced plenty of smart home products, such as Bespoke home appliances, it also unveiled a new Home Hub display for controlling and monitoring devices.

At first glance, Samsung's Home Hub is just a tablet with a dock, but it's really much less than that, and that seems to be the point.

Home Hub is a dedicated display that makes all your smart home controls easy to access and use. The interface is identical to Samsung's SmartThings app, with tabs for access to devices, automation, favorites, and the various SmartThings services.

Samsung was fairly mum on details for the Home Hub but says that it "integrates with AI-connected appliances to simplify home management." It seems that Samsung is keeping the focus on smart home control, omitting superfluous entertainment features that you'll find on some of the best smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show 15.

Unfortunately, the Home Hub will only be available in Korea sometime this year, with no known plans to launch it globally yet.

However, Samsung is also making moves to expand its SmartThings Hub technology by further integrating it within its devices. That will enable Samsung TVs, displays, and even refrigerators to act as SmartThings Hubs to connect and control other devices within your home. These capabilities will come to select Samsung products throughout this year.

Furthermore, Samsung has announced that it is a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), which aims to make smart home appliances work seamlessly together, regardless of who manufactured them. That sounds a lot like the Matter initiative, which Samsung is also part of, so this move appears a bit redundant. For now, we'll have to wait and see how this initiative will pair with Matter when the standard launches later this year.

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