These are speakers that the company has collaborated with China’s Baidu and Raven Tech, and as you can see in the photo above, these are definitely not your run-of-the-mill smart speaker. Starting with the “H”, they look like a stack of coasters or maybe even LEGO bricks. However the top is removable and has touch-sensitive LEDs with built-in microphones, and when removed it can act as a remote control for the speaker unit below it.
As for the “R”, this is the more ambitious design of the two. Its top is reminiscent of the “H”, but instead of a stack of these, there is only one and it is mounted onto a robotic arm that when you speak to it, it will actually be able to swivel and “look” at you, and will also move along to the beat of the music, thanks to its speakers which are housed in the base of the device. Both speakers will also be powered by Baidu’s DuerOS.
As for availability, the “H” is expected to go on sale in China next month where it will be priced at CNY1,699. As for the “R”, it is still in development and we’re not sure when it will be released or how much it will cost.