Skip to main content

Huawei has collaborated with Devialet on its new China-exclusive smart speaker

Huawei has collaborated with Devialet on its new China-exclusive smart speaker

/

The $285 Sound X runs Huawei’s own voice assistant

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Image: Huawei

Huawei’s latest smart speaker, the Sound X, is being made in partnership with Devialet, a high-end audio company known for its premium Phantom speakers. Engadget reports that the Sound X is available to preorder now for 1,999 yuan (around $285), but there’s no word of a release outside of China.

The 360-degree speaker includes a 60-watt double subwoofer and comes equipped with a full array of Huawei services, including the company’s Xiaoyi voice assistant, Huawei HiLink smart home control, and support for Huawei music. Devialet, meanwhile, has provided its speaker active matching (SAM) tech to reduce distortion as well as a push-push woofer vibration-canceling system, according to Engadget.

While there are plenty of high-end speaker companies out there, Devialet has always stood out, thanks to its ridiculously cool designs. Back in 2015, my colleague Dan Seifert said that its Phantom speaker looked like the gun out of Portal, but to me, it’s always looked more like a sci-fi robot’s head. Devialet’s latest collaboration is a little more understated in comparison, with a design that almost looks like someone took a Mac Pro trash can and replaced the bottom third with a speaker grille. Otherwise, I’d say it looks a lot like a HomePod, if Huawei’s last smart speaker hadn’t already taken a few pages out of Apple’s book.