April 8th news: According to the latest news on social media platforms and industry trends, Samsung is expected to officially release its highly anticipated AI companion robot, Ballie, this week. This spherical robot, which has undergone multiple iterations since its debut in 2020, is considered a crucial part of Samsung's smart home ecosystem and may bring consumers a brand-new interactive experience.
Ballie was initially unveiled as a concept product at the 2020 CES exhibition, and its unique design and AI-driven functions attracted widespread attention. After years of technological optimization, Samsung announced at CES 2025 that Ballie would be launched this year, confirming the United States as one of the first markets.
Recently, news circulating on social media indicates that Samsung's US website has added a Ballie update subscription option and released a short video on its official Instagram account, previewing "Ballie's debut this week." Although specific event details have not yet been clarified, this move is interpreted as a signal of Ballie's official release or further demonstration.
As an AI companion deeply integrated with Samsung's SmartThings platform, Ballie is not only a smart home assistant but also embodies the role of a "family companion." Equipped with a camera, mini projector, and speaker, it can move autonomously around the home, respond to voice commands, and perform a variety of tasks. For example, Ballie can provide weather forecasts, play videos, display Samsung health data, help manage shopping lists, and even control other smart home devices. Thanks to its built-in projection function, Ballie can project information or multimedia content onto walls or floors, providing users with a flexible interactive method.
Furthermore, Ballie's AI capabilities are constantly evolving. Compared to the early concept version, the latest iteration of Ballie has significantly improved response speed and language processing, enabling more natural communication with users and even expressing "emotions" or personalized information through projection. Some analysts point out that Ballie may share some technology with Samsung's Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI vacuum cleaner, but it leans more towards emotional companionship rather than a purely household appliance.
Although Samsung has not yet announced Ballie's pricing and specific release date, the industry generally expects it to land in the US market in the first half of 2025, potentially expanding to other regions afterward. It's worth noting that Samsung recently launched an "AI Subscription Club" plan, allowing users to rent AI devices like Ballie through a subscription model. This model may lower the initial purchase cost and attract more consumers to try it.
