In a major push to dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape in consumer electronics, Samsung Electronics has announced plans to double the number of its mobile devices equipped with 'Galaxy AI' features this year. The ambitious target, set by co-CEO T M Roh in an exclusive interview with Reuters, aims to reach 800 million units by the end of 2026, a significant leap from the approximately 400 million products rolled out by last year.
Galaxy AI Expansion and the Google Partnership
The South Korean tech giant's AI strategy is heavily reliant on its partnership with Alphabet's Google. The 'Galaxy AI' suite incorporates features powered by both Google's advanced Gemini model and Samsung's own Bixby for various tasks. This massive scale-up is expected to provide a substantial boost to Google, which is locked in a fierce competition with OpenAI to onboard more consumer users to its AI platform.
T M Roh, who became co-CEO in November, stated the company's clear directive: "We will apply AI to all products, all functions, and all services as quickly as possible." This aggressive adoption comes as Samsung's internal surveys show awareness of its Galaxy AI brand skyrocketing from about 30% to 80% within just one year.
Reclaiming the Throne in a Competitive Market
This strategic move is central to Samsung's goal of reclaiming the top spot in the global smartphone market from Apple. While Apple was projected to be the leading smartphone maker in 2025, Samsung intends to widen its lead in AI-integrated features across its entire ecosystem, which includes not just phones and tablets, but also televisions and home appliances.
The global AI race hit a new high in November when Google launched the latest version of Gemini, highlighting Gemini 3's lead on several industry benchmarks. In response, OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman reportedly issued an internal "code red," leading to the accelerated development and launch of the GPT-5.2 model a few weeks later.
Roh believes AI adoption will accelerate rapidly, predicting that technologies which seem nascent today will become mainstream within six months to a year. Currently, search remains the most used AI feature on phones, followed by generative AI tools for editing, productivity, translation, and summarization.
Challenges: Chip Shortages and the Foldable Future
Samsung's plan unfolds against a complex backdrop. A global shortage of memory chips, while beneficial for its semiconductor division, is putting pressure on the margins of its smartphone business. "As this situation is unprecedented, no company is immune to its impact," Roh admitted, noting the crisis affects all consumer electronics. He did not rule out price increases for end products, calling some impact "inevitable."
Market researchers like IDC and Counterpoint predict the global smartphone market could shrink next year as rising chip costs threaten to drive up phone prices.
Another key focus is the foldable phone segment, which Samsung pioneered in 2019. Roh acknowledged that growth has been slower than anticipated due to engineering challenges and a lack of apps optimized for the form factor. However, he expects foldables to go mainstream in the next two to three years. Samsung held nearly two-thirds of the foldable market in Q3 2025 but faces rising competition from Chinese makers like Huawei and the anticipated entry of Apple into the foldable space this year.
The company's shares reflected optimism, closing up 7.5% recently ahead of an expected profit jump for the fourth quarter, fueled by the chip market dynamics.
