Samsung (005930.KS) is leaning further into its artificial intelligence lead over Apple with its latest line of Galaxy S26 smartphones, outfitting them with a variety of new AI and agentic features.
The Android-powered Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra, available for preorder Feb. 25, are the latest examples of Samsung’s push to use its AI know-how, powered by its Galaxy AI and Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Gemini, as a key differentiator versus Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone.
Smartphone and PC companies are leaning into AI to appeal to shoppers as they look to upgrade their devices, following explosive sales growth in the early days of the pandemic.
“The [smartphone] market is still growing, it’s quite healthy, but it’s not exploding like it has in the past,” Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen explained.
“So the key here is moving beyond a technology offering, and more toward … a lifestyle offering,” Nguyen added.
In the case of Samsung, that includes launching capabilities that allow you to do things like ask Google’s Gemini to get you an Uber home or tell DoorDash to order your most recent meal, and the bot will do just that, stopping to ask you to choose a specific car and make your payment.
Other AI-powered features include Now Nudge. Say, for example, you’re messaging with a friend, and they ask if you want to get dinner at 6:00 on Friday. Now Nudge will pull up your calendar and provide suggested replies so you don’t have to flip between the two apps.
The company’s Now Bar also provides improved contextual options. So, if you have an upcoming meeting, it will suggest booking a car when it’s time to leave.
The idea, Samsung said, is to turn your smartphone into an on-the-go personal assistant.
The company isn’t working with just Google when it comes to AI, either. Samsung is also giving users the option to use Perplexity’s AI to answer their questions and more.
“The era of the single walled-garden assistant is over. Samsung is making a fundamentally different bet than Apple, that users should be able to choose which AI works for them, and that it should all work seamlessly at the system level,” Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer, said in a statement.
Of course, as Nguyen pointed out, while more users are beginning to expect AI features in their newer smartphones, it’s not exactly table stakes yet. Hardware is still among the most important reasons consumers upgrade, whether that’s for a better camera, display, or improved performance over their older devices.
This time around, Samsung has outfitted the S26 with a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen, up from 6.2 inches on the S25. The S26+ and Ultra keep the same 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch panels as their predecessors.
