When it comes to mobile AI, Samsung has been on quite a mission over the past few years. The Korean tech giant has been busy building out its Galaxy AI suite, highlighting all the cool tricks it can pull off on the Galaxy S25 series. From supercharged photo editing to smart chat replies, Samsung’s pushing the envelope on what phones can do with artificial intelligence.
But there’s a catch: a lot of those smart features actually rely on Google’s AI models, specifically Gemini. In other words, Samsung’s cutting-edge tools are powered by an outside partner. That could soon change. Word on the street—courtesy of Bloomberg—is that Samsung is about to strike a big deal with Perplexity, a fast-rising AI startup, to reduce its dependency on Google.
Perplexity as the Default AI Assistant on Galaxy S26?
Industry insiders say Samsung’s planning to bake Perplexity’s intelligent assistant directly into the Galaxy S26 lineup, which is expected to land in early 2026. Imagine powering up your brand-new S26 or S26 Ultra and seeing Perplexity AI pop up as your go-to helper, right out of the box. No extra downloads, no manual swaps—just smooth, native integration.
Under the rumored deal, Samsung would become one of Perplexity’s major investors, helping fuel the startup’s latest funding round. Perplexity is currently seeking to raise around $500 million at a reported valuation of $14 billion. In return, Samsung would get first dibs on embedding Perplexity’s chat-driven research engine into its devices. Fans of deep, conversational answers might be in for a treat.
Cutting Ties with Google’s Gemini?
Don’t worry—this shift doesn’t mean Gemini is getting kicked to the curb entirely. Instead, Samsung is simply hedging its bets. By balancing multiple AI partners, the company won’t be putting all its chips on Google’s platform. If Perplexity delivers on performance and privacy promises, Samsung could lean more heavily on its own choice of AI engine instead of relying solely on Gemini.
This strategy also gives Samsung more bargaining power when negotiating future AI integrations. Having two strong AI backbones means they can mix and match features, pick the best tool for each task, and potentially negotiate better terms. It’s a case of diversification that boomerangs back as a win for Samsung’s bottom line—and, hopefully, a win for users who just want faster, smarter AI on their phones.
Lo que esto significa para usted
If you’re already rocking a Galaxy S25 or similar, you might be asking, “Can I swap out Gemini for Perplexity today?” The answer is yes—you can replace your default assistant with Perplexity or even ChatGPT on most Android devices right now. It takes a few taps, but savvy users have been doing it for months to see which AI helper reigns supreme.
With Samsung’s rumored partnership, though, you won’t have to fiddle with settings. Perplexity could ship preloaded on your device, fully optimized for One UI and backed by Samsung’s own software tweaks. That means quicker responses, improved on-device performance, and less reliance on third-party downloads. Plus, having Perplexity as a built-in option could open the door to unique Samsung features we haven’t even dreamed up yet.
De cara al futuro
The official partnership announcement could drop as early as late 2025, giving developers plenty of runway to integrate Perplexity’s API into Samsung’s One UI ecosystem. We may see exclusive Galaxy AI features powered by Perplexity, such as real-time research assistance while browsing or context-aware chat responses inside native apps.
Whether this deal ultimately transforms your next Samsung phone experience remains to be seen, but it’s a bold move from a brand that’s been hungry to innovate in the AI space. As we edge closer to the Galaxy S26 launch, stay tuned for more updates—Samsung’s next big play might just redefine how smartphones use artificial intelligence.
