Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone is due to hit shelves in the United States next week, but new reports indicate the device will be missing one key feature.
According to a source cited by the Wall Street Journal, Samsung’s new Bixby artificial intelligence assistant isn’t ready for its English-language launch. The Journal reported recent tests found Bixby’s performance in English isn’t hitting the bar set by tests conducted in Korean.
Bixby, which was introduced in March as Samsung’s first step in “revolutionizing the human-to-machine interface,” was set to make its debut on the Galaxy S8. In a response to the Journal, Samsung said some Bixby features will be available when the S8 hits U.S. shelves on April 21, but voice-activated Bixby services won’t be an option until late spring.
The delay could mark yet another blow for Samsung, which has been trying to move on from a series of mishaps and scandals, including the Note 7 recalls and the arrest of its corporate heir for corruption.
While the S8 will come with a host of other new features – like an infinity edge screen, iris scanner, and a new app to control all of a user’s connected home devices in one place – Bixby was set to be a key enabler of both new and streamlined experiences.
Take, for instance, that IoT app hub. At the S8 launch in March, Samsung execs said they envisioned Bixby as a conduit that will allow users to control their connected devices in the Samsung Connect app with their voice alone. But without English-language voice-activated services, that experience will be put on hold for eager U.S. users.
After the Note 7 debacle, though, it seems Samsung would rather get things right than rush a half-baked feature.
