Samsung Electronics plans to double the number of its mobile devices with AI features powered by Google’s Gemini in 2026. The electronic giant’s co-chief executive, TM Roh, gave the disclosure in his first interview with Reuters since assuming the office in November last year. The move would give the firm an edge over rivals in the global race in artificial intelligence.
The company, which had rolled out Gemini-backed AI features to about 400 million mobile products, including smartphones and tablets by last year, plans to boost that figure to 800 million in 2026. “We will apply AI to all products, all functions, and all services as quickly as possible,” Roh said. The plan by Samsung, the world’s largest sponsor of Google’s Android mobile platform, is set to give a major boost to its developer, marking a major edge over close rival, OpenAI,1 and others to attract more consumer users to their AI model.
Samsung seeks to reclaim its lost number one seat from Apple in the smartphone market and fend off competition from Chinese rivals not only in mobile telephones, but televisions and home appliances, all overseen by Roh. It will offer integrated AI services across consumer products to widen its lead over Apple in such features, though the latter was set be the top smartphone maker last year, according to market researcher, Counterpoint.
Alphabet’s Google launched the latest version of Gemini in November last year, highlighting Gemini 3’s lead on several popular industry measures of AI model performance. In response to Gemini 3, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman reportedly issued an internal “code red,” pausing non-core projects and redirecting teams to accelerate development. The ChatGPT owner launched its GPT-5.2 AI model a few weeks later.
Roh expects the adoption of AI to accelerate, as Samsung’s surveys on awareness of its Galaxy AI brand jumped to a level of 80 percent from about 30 percent in just one year. “Even though the AI technology might seem a bit doubtful right now, within six months to a year, these technologies will become more widespread,” Altman said.
While search is the most used AI feature on phones, consumers also frequently use a range of generative AI editing and productivity tools for images and others, as well as translation and summary features, he said. A global shortage of memory chips is a boon to Samsung’s mainstay semiconductor business, but pressures margins on the smartphone business, its second largest revenue source.
