Samsung to delay $2,000 Ballie robot

[Kit]

Anyone heard why Samsung is pushing back the release of Ballie?

Samsung's cute Ballie robot is delayed, and its price might be why

Samsung's AI robot decides to take a summer vacation with a delayed release

www.androidpolice.com

 

[Chris]

Thanks for sharing this update Kit. Ballie is definitely one robot I’m looking forward to.

From what I’m reading online it seems Samsung is still trying to work out the exact role Ballie will play within the home- smart device or cute AI companion- or both. Apparently Samsung don’t want to sell just another smart device, as recent history has shown such devices perform poorly with consumers.

Personally it would be nice if Ballie had a mode or option to act like an adorable pet robot that could react to touch and play games with the owner using its projection capabilities. Can imagine how much fun Ballie could be, with its ability to change the atmosphere in a room instantly by projecting images. Should be great for stargazing. Also looking forward to having an autonomous robot that can navigate at high speed reliably through the house.

Ballie would be a great guardian while the homeowner was away. But beyond those capabilities unsure how practical or useful Ballie will be for average consumers outside the robot enthusiast niche. Considering Samsung has delayed Ballie on and off since 2020 it might be a sign of the difficulty companies face when creating useful companion robots with mass appeal.

Samsung's Ballie is having an identity crisis, reportedly delayed... again

Samsung could be delaying Ballie once again as the company reportedly struggles to find a place for the robot in user's homes.

9to5google.com

Samsung's AI ball robot Ballie will probably be delayed due to identity crisis

Samsung's Ballie, a spherical home assistant robot, was set for a summer release, but there's been no update—raising doubts about its purpose and future.

www.heise.de

Samsung's Ballie remains unseen as the company allegedly delays it over concerns

It seems the Korean OEM is questioning what Ballie can bring to the table.

www.androidcentral.com

 

[Kit]

makes sense

 

[Chris]

The Shortcut’s Matt Swider recently interviewed Samsung’s Executive Vice President of the Customer Experience Team, Kevin Lee, regarding Ballie’s current progress:

I made a point to ask about Ballie, the other Samsung-Google collaboration. The AI-powered rolling home companion robot, last seen at CES 2025, is past its release window.

“The only thing I can tell you is that we’re definitely continuing to work on Ballie,” Lee told The Shortcut.

“We are doing some of the field tests as we speak to make sure that Ballie is working the way we intended it, but also living up to the quality standards that we believe it needs. So that’s where we are at the moment.”

Lee wrapped up our conversation with a reminder of Samsung’s strategic thinking around new product launches.

“We didn’t build 19 years of number one by accident. It was intentional, it was strategic, and it was bold. And there are some other bold movements we are doing, like Ballie, that require another level of intense evaluation to make sure that these are made up for that market.

Full interview: https://www.theshortcut.com/p/samsung-ai-roadmap-2026