Can Galaxy AI help Samsung regain its edge? The company reportedly plans to double AI-powered devices, betting on Google Gemini amid fierce competition and rising chip pressures.
Samsung Electronics is preparing a major expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) push, aiming to double the number of mobile devices equipped with Galaxy AI features next year, according to an exclusive report by Reuters.
This comes as competition intensifies across the global smartphone market.
The South Korean tech giant plans to expand Galaxy AI to approximately 800 million devices by 2026, up from roughly 400 million currently in use. The features are largely powered by Google’s Gemini models, alongside Samsung’s own software, giving the US firm a broader consumer reach at a critical moment in the AI race.
TM Roh, Samsung’s co-chief executive and head of its consumer electronics businesses, reportedly said the company intends to embed AI across its entire product portfolio, including smartphones, tablets, televisions and home appliances.
The strategy is designed to sharpen Samsung’s edge against rivals, particularly Apple and fast-growing Chinese brands.
Meanwhile, Samsung is Google’s largest Android partner, and the deeper rollout of Gemini-backed services is expected to benefit the Alphabet-owned developer as it competes with OpenAI for consumer adoption. Google released an upgraded version of Gemini late last year, while OpenAI responded soon after with its latest ChatGPT model.
Roh said consumer awareness of Galaxy AI has risen sharply over the past year, suggesting wider acceptance of AI-powered tools is close. Search remains the most commonly used feature, but users are increasingly adopting image editing, translation, summarisation and productivity functions.
Samsung’s shares rose strongly this week as investors anticipated a sharp rise in fourth-quarter profits, driven mainly by its semiconductor division. A global shortage of memory chips has boosted chip prices, supporting earnings, but has also squeezed margins in Samsung’s smartphone business.
Roh said the company could not rule out price increases, as higher component costs affect a wide range of consumer electronics. He added that Samsung is working with partners to limit the long-term impact.
Looking ahead, Samsung expects the foldable phone market to take longer to mature than initially hoped. While user loyalty remains high, technical challenges and limited applications have slowed adoption.
Even so, the company believes foldables could reach the mainstream within the next few years, despite growing competition from Chinese rivals and an expected Apple entry.
