Huawei's smart speaker will be available outside of China, but not the US
The Sound X is coming to Europe.
Huawei is about to compete more aggressively in smart speakers... insofar as it can, anyway. The tech firm is planning to launch its Sound X speaker in Europe following a China-only release in the fall. It'll pack the same Devialet-powered 360-degree sound and 60W double subwoofer. However, it won't initially ship with a voice assistant -- the Xiaoyi helper is clearly China-focused, and the US blacklisting prevents Huawei from using Alexa or Google Assistant.
Pricing and a release date aren't yet available, although the Sound X sells for 1,999 yuan (about $284, or €262) in its homeland. As you might have guessed, though, there's virtually no chance of an official US release. Huawei might not be too worried about that given the company's success in China and other markets, but it's unfortunate if you're eager to see (or rather, hear) how this speaker compares to its rivals. It's certainly a relief to American companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Sonos, none of which will have to defend their home turf.