If you’ve been wondering what happened to Samsung’s Ballie robot companion — reintroduced at CES 2025 with a promised summer launch — you’re not the only one asking that question.
Ballie has been a long-running concept within Samsung’s ecosystem. It was first unveiled as a prototype back in 2020, with no concrete plans for a consumer release. Samsung revived the project in 2024, revealing a larger version with expanded AI capabilities, and then showcased it again at CES 2025, this time promising a launch in the first half of the year.
In April 2025, Samsung reaffirmed that Ballie would arrive in the United States and South Korea during the summer. A dedicated sign-up page even went live, similar to the company’s pre-launch pages for upcoming Galaxy devices. However, it’s now December 2025, and while users can still register for updates, Ballie remains unavailable to buy.
TechGenB contacted Samsung for clarification, and a company spokesperson responded: “We are continuing to refine and perfect the technology to deliver an even more impactful customer experience.”
In short, Ballie isn’t quite ready yet — and Samsung is still working behind the scenes to finalize its AI-powered robot companion.
More than a Samsung Frame TV, a smart refrigerator, or even a smartphone — and closer in concept to Galaxy AI or Vision AI — Ballie is meant to function as a true companion. The robot is designed to move freely around the home, project visuals and content onto surfaces, and act as a proactive digital assistant.
Samsung did demonstrate Ballie’s capabilities at CES 2025, highlighting its projection features and AI-powered functions through a controlled demo. However, attendees were not given the opportunity to interact with the robot directly. A full hands-on experience will likely be necessary before Ballie is ready for consumer release, as Samsung continues refining the product.
Compared to other home robots, Ballie appears more approachable and less intrusive than devices like the Neo X1 Robot, though it lacks the charm and personality of robots such as Disney’s Olaf or the BDX Droids. That said, Ballie offers unique functionality, including the ability to project movies, TV shows, and other content, as well as respond to voice queries. Samsung has also confirmed that Google’s Gemini AI will be integrated, following a partnership with Google Cloud.
For those in need of a refresher, Ballie is a bright yellow, spherical robot roughly the size of a basketball. It moves on wheels and is designed to operate on a single floor, as it cannot climb stairs. To compensate, it relies on a comprehensive sensor array, reportedly including LiDAR and Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, along with speakers, microphones, a rear-facing 2K camera, a front-facing 4K camera, and an onboard projector.
It remains unclear when Samsung will share its next update on Ballie. A clearer announcement may arrive at CES 2026, potentially bringing confirmed launch dates and pricing for the US and South Korean markets. Alternatively, Ballie may continue to appear in demonstrations — a robot that’s frequently shown, but still out of reach for consumers.
