Summary
- Samsung is nearing a deal to integrate Perplexity on Galaxy devices.
- The company may ship Perplexity as the default assistant on the Galaxy S26 next year.
- Samsung may also become one of the biggest investors in Perplexity.
As a report from April this year indicated, Motorola shipped Perplexity as the default AI assistant on its Razr 2025 phones, ditching Google Gemini. The same report claimed that Samsung was in talks with Perplexity to integrate the latter’s AI assistant on its Galaxy devices, though the negotiations were still in early stages. It now appears that the two companies are close to finalizing a deal, with Samsung even considering an investment in the young AI startup.
If the deal goes through, Samsung could make an official announcement later this year; however, the results will only bear fruit next year. The company aims to ship Perplexity as the default assistant starting with the Galaxy S26 lineup in early 2026.
As part of the deal, Samsung will not just pre-install the Perplexity app on its devices but also integrate its search features into Samsung Internet. The Bloomberg report, citing sources, even claims that the two companies have discussed integrating Perplexity’s tech into Samsung Bixby, though nothing is confirmed yet. The two companies seemingly met in South Korea in recent weeks to help close in on an agreement.
Samsung and Perplexity have even held discussions on building AI-powered operating systems with AI agents “that can tap into functionality from Perplexity and a range of other AI assistants.”
Besides integrating Perplexity, Samsung will become “one of the biggest investors” in the startup in its next funding round. Supposedly, Perplexity is looking to raise $500 million at a $14 billion valuation.
If the Samsung–Perplexity deal goes through and the Korean giant ships Perplexity as the default assistant on the Galaxy S26, it could significantly boost the AI startup’s visibility.
How will Samsung’s partnership with Perplexity affect its relationship with Google?
Samsung has a close partnership with Google, with the latter using its flagship devices to announce major new features. With the Galaxy S24 launch in 2024, Samsung and Google teamed up to announce Circle to Search and other improvements to Android.
Then, this year, with the Galaxy S25, Google announced several improvements to Gemini, including a revamped overlay, integration with Samsung apps like Calendar, Notes, and Clock, and the ability to understand chain commands.
Google is already under investigation by the DOJ for its monopolistic practices, including shipping Assistant or Gemini as the default on Android devices. So, a Samsung–Perplexity deal might actually work in the company’s favor.
