Samsung Electronics is reportedly seeking partnerships with AI developers with plans to integrate multiple AI models into future Galaxy devices. These efforts are part of business plan to narrow the market lead held by Apple.
Speaking to the Financial Times (FT), Samsung co-CEO and head of its device experience division TM Roh said the company is “open to strategic co-operation” with AI players including OpenAI to expand the AI ecosystem available on its smartphones.
Samsung unveiled its S26 series recently, featuring expanded AI capabilities. The vendor integrated Perplexity’s AI search engine into its mobile operating system alongside existing models from Google’s Gemini. Roh said the move reflects changing consumer behaviour, as users increasingly switch between AI tools rather than relying on a single platform.
“Consumers are not bound to one AI platform, they are utilising multiple AI models”, Roh noted. “We are open to all solutions… choice, I believe, is how Galaxy AI appeals to consumers”.
Indeed, Roh argued Samsung moved earlier than competitors to embed AI in mobile devices. “We got into the preparation earlier than others”, he said, adding this was “how we have taken and maintained leadership in mobile AI”.
Apple, however, has repeatedly faced delays in expanding its Apple Intelligence features such as an enhanced Siri voice assistant, expected to launch later this year. The iPhone-maker struck a deal in January to integrate Google’s Gemini models, after previously also eyeing OpenAI’s ChatGPT to enhance Siri.
Tsunami-like shock
Market conditions remain challenging. According to Counterpoint Research, global smartphone shipments are forecasted to fall 12 per cent in 2026, marking the lowest annual volume since 2013 and the steepest fall ever. Meanwhile, IDC warned the industry should brace for a “tsunami-like shock originating in the memory supply chain”, potentially reversing a decade in which smartphones delivered better specifications at lower prices.
Though IDC stated Apple and Samsung are “better positioned” to weather the crisis, Samsung increased US prices for two models in its S26 range by $100, partly due to tightening memory supply. “A lot of this is affected by the current ongoing expansion of AI infrastructure”, Roh emphasised.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
