Samsung sent out invitations to its “Unpacked” event in June and the focus appeared to be on the new Note 9.
A picture advertising the event featured the Note’s signature S Pen accessory, hinting at the possibility of new functionality.
The Galaxy Note 9 is expected to sport a largely unchanged design from the Note 8 but will feature supercharged internals.
But it appears Samsung could be set to announce another device on August 9 that could steal the show entirely.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claims the tech firm is set to announce a Bixby smart speaker within the next month.
This means the “Unpacked” event could host the grand unveiling.
The rumoured price of the product is $300 (£231.37).
If true this could undercut Apple’s HomePod that retails for £319.
But it would cost significantly more than Google’s Home speaker and Amazon’s Echo line of products.
Google Home retails for £129 while its Home Mini sells for £49.
Meanwhile Amazon’s second generation Echo smart speaker sells for £89.99, its Echo Dot at £49.99 and its Echo Plus for £139.99.
The WSJ stated Samsung’s smart speaker “has a bowled shape, with a legged bottom and lights at the top” and will attempt to justify its premium price tag with high-end sound quality.
The smart features of the device are understood to be seen as an addition rather than a reason to buy the product solely.
Samsung’s device also reportedly features “sound shifting, where the speaker’s audio can be beamed in the direction of a person providing verbal commands”, the publication adds.
Back in August last year Samsung confirmed it was working on a smart speaker to rival the likes of Amazon and Google.
The president of Samsung’s mobile division, DJ Koh, told CNBC: “Maybe soon we will announce it. I am already working on it.
“As I mentioned I wanted to provide a fruitful user experience at home with Samsung devices, and I want to be moving quite heavily on it.”
Despite putting a heavy focus on its virtual assistant since its debut back in April last year, Bixby has failed to significantly challenge either Siri, the Google Assistant or Alexa.
When Express.co.uk reviewed the Galaxy S9 and S9+ we were disappointed the South Korean tech firm was insistent on featuring Bixby prominently.
We said: “Sadly, Samsung continues to push its Bixby smart assistant with the S9+ even featuring a unique and in our opinion pointless ‘Bixby button’ on the side of the phone.
“There’s no question that Bixby is improving but we’re still not convinced that it deserves as much attention as Samsung gives it.”