Huawei’s Smart Speaker Isn’t Coming To Australia [Updated]

Huawei just announced its new Mate 20 Pro at IFA, which will be powered by a Kirin 980 SoC. But that wasn’t all.

The vendor also revealed a new AI router and speaker, the AI Cube. But sadly, it isn’t coming to Australia even though it’s not even 5G!

This article was originally published on August 31 at 23:45.

Huawei’s first foray into the smart speaker market has Amazon Alexa integration, which fits with the overall aesthetic of the device, which looks like an elongated Google Home. And definitely not like a cube.

Now it will become its rival, along with the Apple HomePod, Amazon and Samsung’s recently-announced Galaxy Home.

And while the market may be flooded with smart speakers, the Cube has a strong point of difference in that it also doubles as a router with 4G connectivity.

In terms of speed it runs on Cat 6 4G LTE with and 300 Mbps and a dual-band 802.11ac WiFi with 1,200 Mbps down.

When it comes to sound it contains a 400ml Big Sound Cavity, aluminium diaphragm and passive radiators. We’ll let you know how it sounds once we get a hands on.

The Cube has been confirmed for Europe by the end of 2018. There has been no word on when it may hit China and the U.S.

We have reached out to Huawei for comment around the lack of Australian release and will update this story if we receive a response. Considering the recent ban on 5G technology from Huawei in Australia, it will be interesting to get to the bottom of this.

Update September 1 6:03am: A representative for Huawei said “We’re still assessing the smart speaker market in Australia (and in APAC) as part of our overall consumer business strategy. However, if things are to change in the near future (and a decision has been made), we will be certain to advise.”

The author traveled to IFA as a guest of Huawei and Samsung.

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/08/huawei-announces-mate-20-with-kirin-980-soc/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Kirin-980-5-410×231.jpg” title=”Huawei Announces Mate 20 With Kirin 980 Chipset” excerpt=”After Honor’s CEO George Zhao let the proverbial cat out of the bag at its launch yesterday, Huawei has now officially announced its new chipset at IFA, the Kirin 980.

But that’s not all.

It’s been less than six months since the release of the P20 series, but Huawei is already planning it’s next big thing, the Mate 20 which is launching in London on October 16.”]

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/08/australian-government-bans-huawei-and-zte-from-5g/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Huawei-P20-1-410×231.jpg” title=”Australian Government Bans Huawei And ZTE From 5G” excerpt=”Today it was announced that Huawei and ZTE will be banned from supplying 5G technology to Australia. This comes after months of discussions and investigation regarding the inclusions of Chinese vendors in 5G networks — including Huawei rejecting the claim that it would be a security risk back in June.”]