Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.
Samsung soundbar gives you Dolby Atmos out of the box
You can get vertical sound without buying extra gear -- or chewing up all the free space in your living room.
As immersive as Dolby Atmos' vertical audio is, it's not viable for everyone. You might not have the space for all those speakers, especially if you have to buy some of them after the fact. Samsung thinks it has an answer, though. It's launching the HW-K950, the first soundbar to include a pair of Atmos-capable wireless speakers in the box -- and Samsung's first Atmos soundbar of any kind, for that matter. The 5.1.4-channel combo should give you immersive audio without either consuming precious home theater real estate or making you hunt down some add-ons. Samsung isn't divulging pricing or ship dates, but it's reasonable to presume that the K950 will sit at the higher end of the price spectrum.
The company has a few tweaks for its Radiant360 (aka Wireless Audio 360) speakers, too. In addition to new colors and an improved touch interface, it's trotting out new apps for both the Gear S2 and Gear S, a better Multiroom app and smart home functionality (such as audio notifications). Samsung isn't reinventing the wheel here, then -- it's just giving you more reasons to try these speakers if you haven't given them a shot before.
