Samsung’s approach to the smart home has been — “uneven” seems like a nice way of putting it. None of this has really been helped along by the fact that Bixby and the company’s long-promised smart speaker, the Galaxy Home, are still lost in the woods.
SmartThings, the home automation startup the company acquired in 2014, has been relatively steady under its watch, on the other hand. The brand just released a trio of products maintaining its focus on low cost entry points for the starter smart home.
Two, the SmartThings Cam and WiFi Smart Plug have the helpful bonus of not requiring a separate hub. The Smart Bulb, on the other hand, does require one, but that’s not particularly surprising given the $10 price point. Samsung’s SmartThings Hub currently runs around $70, by the way.
None of the new entrants looks particularly exciting. The $90 Cam shoots in 1080p at a 145 degree angle and switches into night vision when the lights are off. It can capture HDR footage and has two-way audio.
The Smart Plug does seem like a pretty solid bargain at $18 vs. Amazon’s $25. Plugging in lights, appliances and the like gives the user app and voice control with Alexa, Google Assistant and, of course, Bixby. All three of the above will work with all of the new products.
The Cam, Smart Plug and Smart Bulb are available starting today.
