According to SamMobile, Samsung’s co-CEO TM Roh announced the company will bring Google’s Gemini AI to 800 million mobile devices this year. This is a literal doubling of its current footprint, as Samsung has already rolled out Gemini features to over 400 million smartphones and tablets in 2025. Roh, appointed in November, stated Samsung will “apply AI to all products, all functions, and all services as quickly as possible.” The push is backed by data showing consumer awareness of its Galaxy AI brand skyrocketing to 80% from just 30% in one year. And it’s not just phones—Gemini is even coming to Samsung’s smart fridges, giving Google massive scale.
Scale is the whole game
Here’s the thing: this partnership is a masterclass in mutual benefit. Google gets its flagship AI model deployed at a scale it could never achieve alone, not even with its own Pixel phones. Think about it—800 million devices is an almost unimaginable user base for training and refining AI. For Samsung, it gets to offer cutting-edge AI features without having to build the foundational model from scratch. They can focus on the hardware and integration, which is their core strength. It’s a classic “you handle the software, we’ll handle the hardware” play, but for the AI era. Basically, it lets Samsung compete with Apple’s on-device AI narrative by leveraging Google’s cloud and model prowess.
Beyond the hype cycle
But this move signals something bigger than just a feature checklist. Samsung is making a definitive statement that AI is not a passing fad or a gimmick. It’s the new bedrock of their entire product philosophy. When a hardware giant of Samsung’s size says “all products, all functions,” they’re betting the company’s future on it. The rapid rise in Galaxy AI brand awareness proves consumers are not just noticing—they’re starting to expect it. So the race isn’t just about who has the best AI model anymore. It’s about who can implement it most seamlessly across the most devices in people’s lives. From your pocket to your kitchen, Samsung wants its AI to be there.
What this means for everyone else
This creates immense pressure on other Android manufacturers. What’s their play? Building their own model is a monumental, expensive task. Partnering with another AI provider (like, say, ChatGPT) might work, but will it integrate as deeply into the Android OS? Probably not. And for Google, this deal is a strategic fortress. It deeply embeds their AI ecosystem into the world’s largest smartphone maker, making it harder for any alternative to gain a foothold. The real question now is: how will this shape the AI features themselves? When you’re designing for 800 million users, you have to prioritize broad utility over niche brilliance. I think we’ll see Gemini on Samsung devices become incredibly good at reliable, everyday tasks, but maybe less about wild, creative generation. It’s the industrial-scale application of AI, and it’s happening right now.
