AI Robot Ballie Is Ready, But Samsung Isn’t Sure You’ll Want It

Amid all the major announcements coming throughout year, it’s easy to forget about Ballie. At CES 2025, Samsung teased the upcoming home robot and said it would launch this summer. But so far, there’s been no update. A new report from Korea now claims that while Ballie is ready for the market, Samsung is holding back its release.

Samsung is delaying Ballie, and it could be learning from others’ mistakes

According to Korea Times, Samsung is holding back the release of its ball-shaped AI robot, Ballie, despite earlier promises to launch it in the first half of 2025. Ballie was expected to hit stores in Korea and the US between May and June this year. That window has passed, and Samsung has gone quiet on the launch.

Ballie is designed as a smart home companion. It rolls around the house on wheels, responds to voice commands, and comes equipped with a built-in projector, cameras, and sensors. Samsung has shown off Ballie at several tech events over the years, pitching it as a helper that can monitor pets and elderly family members, make video calls, and project reminders on walls.

Despite its futuristic features, Ballie’s real-world value remains unclear. The robot’s expected price tag of over $2,000 makes it one of Samsung’s most expensive home gadgets, yet it doesn’t do much that existing smart devices can’t. Samsung’s own SmartThings app already controls appliances and manages routines. Robot vacuums with cameras can handle home monitoring.

Ballie’s delay seems tied to this uncertainty. Industry reports suggest that Samsung is struggling to define where Ballie fits in a home already full of AI tools. The company is also watching how consumers respond to high-priced devices like Apple’s Vision Pro, which launched to mixed reviews despite advanced tech.

For now, Ballie seems stuck between innovation and practicality. Samsung may still launch it later this year, but it is clearly taking extra time to refine the robot and rethink its role in the AI-powered home. As interest in consumer robots grows, Ballie’s future depends on whether Samsung can convince people it’s more than just a rolling gadget.