LG Announces 2018 Smart Speaker Lineup With Google Assistant Integration

LG Speakers

One of the themes we expect to be in full force at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month is smart speakers. Amazon leads the charge with its Echo products, and following its success, others have jumped on board the smart speaker bandwagon, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Harman Kardon, to name a few. You can add LG to the list as well, which just unveiled its 2018 speaker lineup.

Among LG's new speakers coming out is a soundbar with Google Assistant integration. It offers full connectivity to hubs, speakers, and other smart devices support Chromecast, and allows users to bark out commands starting with "OK Google" to pull audio from streaming sources.

Outside of Google Assistant integration, the SK10Y soundbar delivers 550W through multiple speakers, including a pair of powerful up-firing speakers, and supports 5.1.2-channel audio via Dolby Atmos technology.

LG ThinQ

LG also announced its first premium smart AI audio product, the ThinQ speaker. This also comes with Google Assistant built into it, giving users both high-quality sound the convenience of having a digital assistant within earshot. On top of it all, the ThinQ has a personalized voice-activated interface for LG's smart home appliances, for those who want to go all-in with LG for their smart home needs.

"Sound technology has come a long way since LG introduced the first radio to the Korean market almost 60 years ago," said Tim Alessi, head of product marketing at LG Electronics USA. "Our latest lineup of audio products has been designed for those listeners who value premium sound with smart-enabled capabilities, and demonstrates how LG continues to push the boundaries on how people enjoy music and movies."

These and other new speaker products from LG will be on display at CES, where we expect the company to announce availability and pricing.