Samsung Developer Conference 2018: Watch it live here on Wednesday – CNET

Samsung’s Galaxy Home HomePod killer, the next phase of the Bixby voice assistant and the company’s much-talked-about folding phone: That’s just some of what we expect to see from the Korean tech giant at its big event on Wednesday, Nov. 7 in San Francisco.

Samsung went all-out at the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 in August held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But this San Francisco event will be more about software — think Apple’s WWDC, Microsoft’s Build and Google’s I/O conferences. We’ll definitely see lots of talk about application programming interfaces and the like, as Samsung tries to bring more third-party developers into the fold for its Bixby digital assistant and its Tizen smartwatch operating system. That said, expect more info on the Galaxy Home smart speaker that was revealed back in Brooklyn, and maybe — just maybe — a look at the company’s next-gen foldable phone. 

Watch live here: Wednesday, Nov. 7 

CNET will have a group of veteran Samsung watchers on the scene covering all of the latest news backed up by dozens more around the world. 

Event start time: 10 a.m. P.T, 1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. BST, 5 a.m. AEST Thursday (See the start time where you are)

Live event video: Samsung is livestreaming the event on YouTube and the feed will start at 10 a.m PT. Watch it live, directly above.

Full schedule: The conference runs Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, with streamed keynote addresses starting both days. Here’s the full itinerary. 

What to expect

Here’s a recap of what Samsung is anticipated to discuss in San Francisco. Note that these may be rumored and not confirmed.

• Samsung’s folding phone: It’s not a flip phone, but a folding one — imagine a tablet you fold in half and stick in your pocket, basically. Whether we see a full reveal or just enough details to get developers started is anyone’s guess. (We may also see… nothing at all.)
• Galaxy Home smart speaker: We know it looks like a cauldron, and that it uses the Bixby voice assistant but… that’s it. How much will it cost, and will it be here by the holidays? Expect Samsung to answer these questions — we hope.
• More Bixby: With even Apple struggling against Amazon and Google — the Coke and Pepsi of the modern smart home world — Samsung’s smart assistant has its work cut out for it. But this sort of gathering of developers is the perfect place to outline big plans for the new year and swing for the fences.
• Not expected — Galaxy S10: The follow-up to the S9 isn’t expected till 2019. Supposedly codenamed “Beyond,” a more traditionally designed (not folding) phone is expected to include an in-screen fingerprint reader and 5G options. We don’t expect any mention of it at this week’s developers conference — February’s Mobile World Congress show is more likely — but who knows? Maybe Samsung will tease us with something. 

CNET will be on-site with live coverage. Look for this story to be updated soon after the event starts with key details.

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