Samsung Targets 800 Million Gemini-Enabled Devices by 2026

Samsung announced plans to expand Gemini-powered AI features across a far broader set of devices in 2026, doubling the base of mobile products running the technology from roughly 400 million to about 800 million. Co-CEO T.M. Roh said the company expects the increase "this year," and described the effort as part of a strategic pivot to "apply AI to all products."

The expansion will extend Galaxy AI capabilities, which rely largely on Google’s Gemini model, beyond flagship smartphones and tablets into televisions, home appliances and other consumer electronics. A lightweight, on-device variant of Gemini, known as Gemini Nano, was already running on six Galaxy models as of October 2024. Samsung plans to broaden that on-device footprint into mid-range phones while also leveraging cloud-delivered AI to reach lower-power devices.

Executives frame the push as critical to regaining leadership in the global smartphone market and defending market share against Chinese manufacturers and Apple. Samsung remains the world’s largest maker of Android-based devices and has been a key partner for Google’s platform strategy, a relationship that the company is now deepening by integrating Gemini across hardware and services.

The move comes as the industry accelerates new model releases and capability rollouts. Google released an updated version of Gemini in November, an event that intensified competition among large AI developers and device makers. Competitors have responded by speeding their own model and product development, reshaping the innovation race for consumer-facing artificial intelligence.

Samsung’s plan faces notable operational risks. Memory-chip shortages and rising chip prices are squeezing margins across the smartphone industry and could shrink the market in 2026, prompting suppliers and manufacturers to reassess pricing. Samsung has not ruled out passing higher component costs to consumers through price increases on select devices. The company must also navigate complex rollout considerations, balancing on-device compute demands with cloud latency, data privacy expectations and regional regulatory constraints.

Key details remain unspecified, including a precise device list and a regional timetable for the Gemini expansion, and the commercial terms of Samsung’s partnership with Google have not been disclosed. It is also unclear how many additional models will host Gemini Nano or equivalent on-device models as the company scales to the 800 million target.

For consumers, the deployment promises deeper AI features across the Samsung ecosystem, from smarter assistants on phones to contextual recommendations on televisions and appliances that can anticipate needs. For the industry, Samsung’s bet amplifies the central question of 2026: whether device makers can translate advanced generative AI into everyday utility without undermining margins or exacerbating supply constraints. The outcome will help determine who sets the pace in the next phase of consumer AI.