Google-made smart display could be available by Christmas

Google is set to release a smart display later this year, according to the Nikkei Asian Review (via9to5Google). The publication’s sources suggest that the speaker will be made by Pegatron, a Taiwanese company that also assembles iPhones.

Should the rumors be true, the device would likely run Google’s Android Things operating system and line up alongside other Google-made products, such as Pixel smartphones and Google Home speakers.

Nikkei says Google hopes to ship around 3 million units of its first batch of the first smart display. That’s a big target considering data from Canalys mentioned by Nikkei suggests that Amazon only managed to ship 315,000 Echo Show units last year. Earlier this year, a report suggested Google sold around 3.9 million Pixel devices in 2017.

Other than the sales target, the article has few specific details about the smart display. It says that the product could be controlled using voice commands and that owners will be able to perform tasks such as watching YouTube, checking their calendar, and viewing maps. These are tasks that all Android Things smart displays are expected to be able to perform.

This isn’t the first time we have heard of a Google-made smart display. Earlier in the year, Google VP Rishi Chandra refused to rule out that the company would make a smart display. Other reports have suggested Google was planning to release a smart display with a 7-inch display.

The first smart display running Google’s Android Things was the Lenovo Smart Display released late last month. JLB and LG will also release their own smart displays later this year.

It makes a lot of sense that Google would want to release a smart display of its own. Google’s share of the smart speaker market is behind only Amazon; by releasing a smart display, it could potentially get the upper hand over its arch-rival.

Next up: Smart Displays vs Google Home: What are the differences?