Samsung Eyes Perplexity as Default AI Assistant for Galaxy S26 Series

A few weeks ago, reports surfaced that Samsung was in talks with Perplexity to integrate its AI assistant into Galaxy devices. It looks like the two companies are now close to finalizing the deal, with Samsung expected to offer Perplexity as a default assistant option in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. The Korean firm is planning to announce the partnership as early as this year.

Samsung may pre-install the Perplexity app and assistant on its Galaxy devices

Perplexity is a powerful AI-powered search engine that leverages several AI models to deliver real-time answers to users. Samsung has been showing interest in using Perplexity’s AI search capabilities on its Galaxy devices. According to a report from Bloomberg, the Korean firm may pre-install Perplexity’s app and assistant on upcoming Galaxy devices.

The publication claims that the next generation flagships, the Galaxy S26 series, may offer Perplexity AI as a default assistant. Interestingly, Samsung replaced its in-house assistant Bixby in favour of Google’s Gemini AI as the default assistant starting with the Galaxy S25 series earlier this year. With the integration of Perplexity, Samsung may be planning to adopt a diversified AI strategy.

On top of that, Samsung Internet may gain support for several AI-powered search features from Perplexity, improving the browsing experience. The report says the broad tie-up may help Samsung reduce its reliance on Google and start working with different AI developers, like Apple does.

Perplexity could raise US$500 million in funding at a US$14 billion valuation, with Samsung expected to be one of the biggest investors. The two companies recently met in South Korea and are now close to reaching a deal. If signed, it will be a big deal for Perplexity, following a recent integration deal with Motorola.

Meanwhile, Apple is also discussing a similar deal with Perplexity. It aims to use Perplexity as an alternative to Google Search and as a substitute for ChatGPT in Siri. It will be interesting to see how the two tech giants leverage Perplexity’s AI search capabilities on their devices.