Samsung Open to AI Partnerships to Enhance Galaxy Ecosystem

Samsung Electronics is actively exploring strategic collaborations with artificial intelligence (AI) companies to integrate a wider range of AI models into its Galaxy smartphones, aiming to strengthen its position against competitors like Apple. This move comes as AI-powered features increasingly influence consumer purchasing decisions in the stagnating global smartphone market.

Expanding AI Capabilities Beyond Gemini and Perplexity

Samsung recently announced the Galaxy S26 series, which includes integration with both Gemini and Perplexity [Samsung Insights]. CEO and President Tae-moon Roh indicated the company is “open to all solutions” and believes offering “choice” is key to making Galaxy AI accessible to a broader consumer base [Infomaxai].

Strategic Collaboration to Counter Apple

According to the Financial Times, Samsung’s strategy is designed to erode Apple’s leading global market share [Infomaxai]. Apple is similarly increasing its AI capabilities, having secured contracts to employ both Google’s Gemini model and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with plans to overhaul its Siri voice assistant this year.

AI Leadership and Infrastructure Investment

Roh emphasized Samsung’s early investment in mobile AI, stating the company has “secured and maintained leadership in this field” [Infomaxai]. He also noted that consumers are increasingly utilizing multiple AI models rather than relying on a single platform.

Price Adjustments Reflect AI Infrastructure Costs

Samsung has increased the US selling price of two models in the S26 series by $100, partially attributed to a shortage of memory chip supply and the prioritization of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI data centers over smartphone memory chips [Infomaxai]. Roh explained that much of the price increase is “influenced by the expansion of AI infrastructure that is currently underway.”

Galaxy S26: A Focus on Everyday AI Usability

The Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event highlighted Samsung’s vision to create AI an integral part of daily life, positioning it as a standard feature rather than a niche technology [Korea JoongAng Daily]. The focus was on “everyday usability,” addressing research indicating that while most mobile users recognize the value of AI, a significant percentage locate it difficult to use [Korea JoongAng Daily].

Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of the DX Division and MX Business at Samsung Electronics, expressed confidence in the new lineup, stating that the Galaxy S26 series has been “further refined in terms of completeness” and is receiving “positive feedback from global partners” [Infomaxai].