"Galaxy AI Devices to Reach 800 Million in Cumulative Shipments This Year"...A New Chapter in Popularization

President Roh Taemoon: "We will achieve results that surpass the previous model"
Unveils philosophy that "AI should be equal infrastructure for everyone"
"We strive to keep domestic prices at the lowest level globally"

Samsung Electronics, which is opening the era of global artificial intelligence (AI) phones, has written a new chapter with what it calls mobile agentic AI.

At the "Galaxy Unpacked 2026" event held in San Francisco, USA, on the 25th (local time), Samsung Electronics showcased the Galaxy S26 series with unprecedented new AI features and powerful hardware capabilities.

Roh Taemoon, President and CEO (Head of the DX Division) of Samsung Electronics, is speaking at a press briefing held in San Francisco, United States on the 25th (local time). Provided by Samsung Electronics

"We will surpass the previous model's performance... Expanding Galaxy AI deployment to 800 million devices"

Roh Taemoon, President and CEO (Head of DX Division), expressed confidence at a press briefing held after the event, saying, "This year, we will achieve results with the Galaxy S26 series that surpass those of the previous model." He continued, "To popularize AI, we expanded AI availability to more than 400 million Galaxy devices by the end of last year," adding, "This year, we plan to double that number."

In particular, he announced that all new mobile products launched this year, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, and wearables, will support AI. Samsung Electronics' AI phones began with the Galaxy S24 series released in 2024.

Through software updates and other measures, the company supplied a total of 200 million AI-capable devices that year, followed by a cumulative 400 million devices last year, and now aims to expand the cumulative number of devices with Galaxy AI to 800 million this year.

Roh said, "The Galaxy S26 has elevated the camera experience to a new level based on the most powerful performance ever, and it is the world's first mobile device to feature a 'privacy display.'"

The top-tier model, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is expected to receive a strong market response as it combines Samsung-exclusive Qualcomm latest application processor (AP), advanced hardware technologies, and AI functions based on Google Gemini 3.

"We will build AI as basic infrastructure through accessibility, universality, and trust"

Roh presented a vision of making AI not a privilege for a few, but basic infrastructure that everyone uses every day.

According to Samsung, a recent survey showed that 81% of mobile phone users responded that AI has real practical value, but at the same time, 85% said they were concerned that AI is difficult to use or that they might not be able to make full use of it.

To address this challenge, Roh proposed three criteria: accessibility, universality, and trust. He stressed, "AI should not be a technology used only by certain people; it must be something everyone can use without burden."

He went on to say, "To create a foundation where agentic AI can operate more smoothly, we are co-developing with Google a more advanced form of AI OS that can understand and connect context at the operating system (OS) level, and we will unveil it soon."

Agentic AI plays a role in providing practical help in everyday life by understanding the user's intent and conversational context and delivering satisfactory results. Samsung is focusing on lowering the entry barrier so that this can be used more easily and intuitively. Roh added that the company will also work to strengthen privacy and data protection so that users can feel secure when using it.

He said, "Samsung Electronics will continue to conduct research on global perceptions of AI usage and will keep evolving AI so that anyone can use it easily and conveniently."

However, as the market had anticipated, the factory prices of the Galaxy S26 series have been raised by between 99,000 won and 295,900 won for each model, which is seen as an obstacle to expanding the adoption of AI phones.

Regarding this, Roh explained, "Due to the recent simultaneous rise in exchange rates and component costs, price adjustments became unavoidable," adding, "We have done our best to keep domestic prices at the most competitive level compared with major global markets." He added, "We are making every effort to position domestic prices at the lowest level globally."

He also said that to reduce device manufacturing costs, Samsung strengthened cooperation with strategic partners and pursued technological innovation that reduces the number of hardware components while improving performance.

When asked about the significance of additionally adopting the Perplexity AI model, he said, "From the launch of the first AI device, the Galaxy S24, Samsung has maintained a 'hybrid AI' direction that leverages AI capabilities from multiple partners."

Roh added, "Already, more than 8 out of 10 consumers who use AI are using multiple AI functions," and "We wanted consumers to be able to compare, choose, and use AI freely."

For the standard and Plus models in the Galaxy S26 series, Samsung's in-house developed application processor (AP), the "Exynos 2600," has been adopted.

On this point, Roh said, "For flagship APs, we carry out long-term pre-development and joint verification with chipset partners to apply the most optimal solution," and added, "We decided to adopt Exynos because it fully met expectations and achieved its targets."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.