AT IFA 2018, Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) unveiled the Huawei AI Cube, a two-in-one Alexa-enabled AI speaker and 4G router, marking its official entry into the nascent smart speaker market. It represents a new, more natural and convenient way for consumers to connect to the Internet and control smart devices, while delivering high quality audio in a compact form factor featuring a minimalist design.

“As an industry leader, Huawei is committed to providing seamless connectivity and enabling the smart, connected experience. To those ends, Huawei has been actively strengthening the value proposition of its product portfolio, and augmenting an increasingly wide range of products with AI technology, with Huawei AI Cube being the latest in the line,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG. “Huawei AI Cube is an AI speaker boasting a complete set of functionalities that showcase Huawei’s commitment to innovation and collaboration. A union of leading telecommunications technology and Amazon’s incredible AI platform, HUAWEI AI Cube is a compelling product that will surely strike a chord with consumers.”

With support for Wi-Fi on 4G LTE, Huawei AI Cube can fulfill the myriad connectivity demands arising from the smart home. Setup for the router is easy and intuitive—it only requires a 4G SIM card plugged in to establish a high speed internet connection at LTE Category 6 speeds Cat6 (300Mbps downlink). Huawei AI Cube is also compatible with the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, meaning the router is dual band, capable of working on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels and transmitting data over LAN at up to 1,200Mbps.

Huawei AI Cube also works with Alexa. Users can converse with Alexa naturally and get access to more than 45,000 Alexa Skills, or control over 12,000 Alexa-enabled smart home devices from across 2,000 brands. Additionally, a wide breadth of Amazon services and content are available to Huawei AI Cube users, who may get access to them simply by asking.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Huawei on the Huawei AI Cube, a truly unique product that really excites us,” said Daniel Rausch, Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “Our leading voice recognition technology is already being used by millions of users to control their homes daily via our own Amazon Echo and smart speakers from third party manufacturers. We can’t wait to introduce Alexa to even more people around the world and make their homes smarter.”

In terms of speaker performance, Huawei AI Cube is built with a large, 400ml sound cavity and an aluminum diaphragm, enabling the AI speaker to produce high quality audio with crystal clear midrange and highs, as well as full, rounded bass. The audio is also enhanced with Huawei’s proprietary audio solution: Huawei Histen. Also featured on a range of Huawei devices, Huawei Histen enriches the AI speaker’s set of features by including virtual bass, linear phase equalizer, adaptive gain control, far-field voice recognition and more as part of its repertoire.

All the aforementioned technologies supported on the HUAWEI AI Cube are packed in small matte white body with a seamless 3D mesh base. Moreover, the AI speaker is designed in a way that the ports are hidden underneath the base, allowing it to blend in with any home decor easily.

According to market analyst firm Canalys, the global install base of smart speakers is set to more than double in size to reach 225 million units by 2020 . This massive opportunity is underpinned by a strong market interest for this category of products, particularly in the China market. As a leading telecommunications equipment and smartphone manufacturer, Huawei is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this burgeoning trend in China and beyond.

In IFA 2018, Talk Android included the Huawei AI Cube in its “Best of IFA 2018” list for its “broad compatibility with other smart and connected devices“ and excellent sound quality. Talk Android is a US-based website dedicated to reporting on the latest news about Google and the Android platform. It has over 400,000 monthly visitors.

Gear Diary also gave the Huawei AI Cube a “Best of IFA 2018” award, thanks to its “excellent sound, with an aluminum diaphragm and a 400ml sound cavity.” The outlet told readers to “expect lots of connectivity options as well as solid sound.” Gear Diary is US-based website that provides its users with easy-to-understand information about technology. It reaches 149,840 monthly readers.

In addition, TechRadar recognized the Huawei AI Cube with its “Best Smart Speaker” award for its ability to “answer questions, control smart home devices, play music and access a library of over 50,000 skills.” TechRadar is an online publication focused on technology, with news and reviews of tech products, especially gadgets. It attracts 47.3 million unique monthly readers. — SG