Samsung's Biggest Bet: 800 Million AI Devices by End of 2026
Samsung opened 2026 with one of the boldest AI commitments in consumer electronics history. At CES 2026 in January, Samsung's co-CEO TM Roh confirmed in his first Reuters interview since taking the role that the company plans to double its Gemini-powered device footprint from 400 million in 2025 to 800 million by end of 2026. "We will apply AI to all products, all functions, and all services as quickly as possible," Roh told Reuters. That single sentence describes a fundamentally different ambition than Samsung's previous AI positioning — this is not AI as a premium feature for flagship devices. It is AI as a default layer baked into the entire Samsung product ecosystem, from the Galaxy S26 in your pocket to the Samsung smart fridge in your kitchen. For Bangladeshi consumers who already live in one of Samsung's largest Galaxy markets in South Asia, this expansion has direct and immediate implications for what your current and future Galaxy phone can do.
What Is Galaxy AI and How Does Gemini Power It?
Galaxy AI is Samsung's umbrella brand for its suite of AI features across all devices. The relationship between Galaxy AI and Google's Gemini model is structured but not exclusive: according to Samsung's official Galaxy S26 announcement, Gemini handles the generative and reasoning-heavy workload — answering questions, editing images, translating text, summarising content, and executing agentic multi-step tasks — while Samsung's own Bixby assistant handles device-management tasks like changing settings, setting routines, and hardware control. The two systems divide responsibilities rather than compete.
Consumer awareness of Galaxy AI tells its own story. Samsung's own survey data shows brand awareness jumping from 30% to 80% in a single year — a 167% increase that the company describes as reflecting genuine usage adoption, not just name recognition. Search is the most used AI feature on Galaxy phones, followed by generative image editing, translation, and content summarisation. These are not edge-case features — they are functions that Bangladeshi Galaxy users are actively incorporating into daily communication, work, and media consumption.
Every Galaxy AI Feature You Can Use Right Now
Galaxy AI is not a single feature — it is a layered collection of capabilities distributed across the phone's apps and system functions. Here is what is available and what it actually does.
Circle to Search. Hold the home button from anywhere on your phone — any app, any screen — and draw a circle around anything you see. Circle to Search instantly searches for it. On the Galaxy S26, this has been upgraded with multi-object recognition: circle an entire outfit in a photo and it identifies every item simultaneously, from jacket to footwear, and surfaces shopping results for each. For Bangladeshi students researching products, identifying plants or animals, or translating visible text in real-world environments, this is one of the most practically useful features on any Samsung phone released in the last two years. Works across every app. Requires internet connection.
Live Translate. Real-time translation during phone calls. The person on the other end speaks in their language; you hear it in yours, simultaneously. Useful for Bangladeshis managing calls with overseas employers, suppliers, or family members in non-Bengali speaking contexts. As of March 2026, Galaxy AI's Photo Assist and Creative Studio support 41 languages.
Gemini Agentic Tasks (Galaxy S26 series, US and Korea first). The most transformative feature to arrive on Galaxy devices — and the one that most clearly defines where Samsung's AI strategy is heading. On the Galaxy S26 series, a long press of the side button activates Gemini as a true autonomous agent. Tell it "Book me an Uber to the airport" and Gemini opens Uber, selects your ride, confirms the details, and asks for your approval before completing the booking. You can watch live progress in your notifications and interrupt at any time. At launch this is limited to select apps (food, grocery, rideshare categories) in the US and Korea. Broader rollout is expected with Android 17. This is a beta feature on the S26 and represents the clearest preview of where Galaxy AI is heading — background AI that handles multi-step tasks while you do something else.
Now Nudge. The phone understands what is on your screen in real time and surfaces contextually relevant actions. If someone texts you asking to share photos, Now Nudge suggests jumping directly to your Gallery. If you mention a date or location in a message, it suggests adding it to your Calendar. Described by early reviewers as "surprisingly useful in daily messaging — surfaces the right action at exactly the right moment."
Now Brief. A personalised daily summary that surfaces proactive reminders based on information on your device — booking details, friends' birthdays, travel updates — delivered in bite-sized notifications without you having to ask. On the Galaxy S26, Now Brief has become more proactive and personalised, learning from user behaviour to surface information before it is needed.
Photo Assist (formerly Generative Edit). Edit photos using natural language prompts: "Change this from day to night," "Remove this person from the background," "Restore the missing part of this object." On the Galaxy S26, Photo Assist works via written prompts for faster editing. You do not need to know which tool to use — you describe what you want and the AI executes it.
Scam Detection. On the Galaxy S26, Google's on-device Gemini model actively monitors calls for patterns consistent with phone scams. If suspicious language or tactics are detected, you receive an instant audio and haptic alert — all processed locally on the device, with no call audio sent to Google or third parties. For Bangladeshi users navigating a communications environment where mobile fraud is common, this is one of the most practically valuable additions to any Galaxy phone in recent memory.
Writing Assist and Chat Assist. Grammar correction, tone adjustment, and rewriting suggestions across Samsung's messaging and note apps. Select text → Writing Assist → choose formal, casual, or a specific style. Chat Assist provides message suggestions based on conversation context in Samsung Messages.
Note Assist. Automatic formatting, summarisation, and transcription in Samsung Notes. Record a meeting or lecture and Note Assist generates a structured summary. Particularly useful for students and professionals who take notes in Samsung Notes during long sessions.
Audio Eraser. Remove specific sounds from videos — wind noise, crowd sounds, specific voices — using on-device AI. Useful for anyone recording content in noisy environments, which describes most outdoor video recording in Bangladesh's urban contexts.
Which Samsung Devices Support Galaxy AI?
Galaxy AI features are not limited to the latest flagships. Samsung has committed to backward compatibility across a substantial range of devices. As of March 2026, the following devices are Galaxy AI-ready from launch or via One UI update: Galaxy S26 Ultra, S26+, S26, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge, S25+, S25, S25 FE, S24 Ultra, S24+, S24, S24 FE, Tab A11+, Tab S11 Ultra, Tab S11, Tab S10+, Tab S10 Ultra, Tab S10 Lite, Z TriFold, Z Fold7, Z Fold6, Z Flip7, Z Flip7 FE, Z Flip6, A56, A36 5G, A26 5G, and A17 5G.
The inclusion of the A-series — Samsung's mid-range and affordable range — in the Galaxy AI device list is particularly significant for Bangladesh. The Samsung Galaxy A-series dominates mid-range smartphone sales in Bangladesh across all price segments. Galaxy AI coming to the A56, A36, and A26 means that features like Circle to Search, Live Translate, Writing Assist, and Note Assist are accessible to the majority of Bangladeshi Samsung users, not just those who can afford a Galaxy S-series flagship.
FeatureAvailable OnConnectivityBest Used For Circle to SearchS24 series and newer, select A-seriesOnlineVisual search, text extraction, product identification Live TranslateS24 series and newer, select A-seriesOnline/Offline (partial)Real-time phone call translation Gemini Agentic TasksS26 series (beta, US/Korea first)OnlineBooking, ordering, multi-step app automation Now NudgeS26 seriesOn-deviceContextual action suggestions from screen content Now BriefS25 series and newerOn-devicePersonalised daily reminders and summaries Photo AssistS24 series and newer, Z Fold/Flip 6+Cloud (some on-device)Natural language photo editing Scam DetectionS26 seriesOn-device (fully private)Real-time call scam alerts Writing AssistS24 series and newer, A56, A36Cloud/on-deviceTone adjustment, grammar, message rewriting Note AssistS24 series and newerCloudMeeting/lecture transcription and summary Audio EraserS24 series and newerOn-deviceBackground noise removal from videoSamsung's "Connect Future" — AI Beyond Smartphones
The 800 million device target is not a smartphone story. TM Roh's "Connect Future" vision extends Galaxy AI across Samsung's entire consumer product range. Samsung TVs in 2026 are receiving AI-powered features including automatic content summarisation, on-screen text translation, and intelligent search. Samsung smart appliances — refrigerators, washing machines, ovens — are being integrated with Gemini-powered assistants capable of meal recommendations, expiration date tracking, and recipe translation. The vision: a unified Galaxy AI ecosystem that follows you from the phone in your pocket to every Samsung device in your home.
For the average Bangladeshi household with one Samsung Galaxy phone, one Samsung TV, and possibly a Samsung home appliance, this means the AI experience is being designed to be consistent and interconnected across all of them — not a separate feature per device but a shared intelligence layer that knows your preferences and context regardless of which Samsung screen you are interacting with.
What This Means for Galaxy Users in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of Samsung's most important markets in South Asia. Samsung's Galaxy A-series dominates across mid-range price segments, and the Galaxy S-series commands the premium market. The rollout of Galaxy AI to mid-range devices is not incidental — it is central to Samsung's strategy of making AI the defining feature of Android ownership at every price point.
For Bangladeshi Galaxy users in practical terms: if you own a Galaxy S24 or newer, or an A56, A36, or A26, Galaxy AI features are either already available or will arrive via One UI update. Circle to Search, Live Translate, Writing Assist, and Photo Assist are the four features most immediately useful in a Bangladeshi daily usage context — covering information retrieval, cross-language communication, writing assistance in both English and Bengali, and photo editing without professional tools.
The Scam Detection feature, available on Galaxy S26 and expected to expand to other devices over time, is particularly relevant in a mobile environment where phone fraud targeting bank account and MFS wallet credentials is a documented and persistent threat. For a broader overview of the AI tools reshaping how Bangladeshis work, study, and communicate in 2026, see our guide to the 15 AI tools everyone is using in 2026. For free AI tools specifically available to Bangladeshi students, see our top 10 free AI tools for students in Bangladesh 2026. And for the broader technology innovation landscape shaping Bangladesh's digital future, see our emerging technology innovations in Bangladesh 2026 overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Samsung's Galaxy AI?
Galaxy AI is Samsung's brand for its suite of artificial intelligence features across Galaxy smartphones, tablets, TVs, and home appliances. It combines Google's Gemini model (for generative tasks like translation, image editing, and agentic automation) with Samsung's Bixby assistant (for device management and settings control). As of 2026, Galaxy AI brand awareness has reached 80% among Samsung consumers globally.
Which Samsung phones have Galaxy AI in Bangladesh?
Galaxy AI is available on the Galaxy S24 series and newer, Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 and newer, Galaxy Tab S10 series and newer, and mid-range A-series including the A56, A36 5G, A26 5G, and A17 5G. Features require One UI 6.1 or higher. Specific feature availability varies by model.
What is Samsung's 800 million AI devices target?
At CES 2026, Samsung co-CEO TM Roh confirmed the company plans to double its Galaxy AI-enabled device footprint from 400 million in 2025 to 800 million by end of 2026 — spanning smartphones, tablets, TVs, and home appliances under the "Connect Future" strategy.
What is Circle to Search on Samsung Galaxy?
Circle to Search lets you hold the home button from any app or screen, draw a circle around anything visible — text, objects, people, products — and instantly search for it. On the Galaxy S26, it has been upgraded with multi-object recognition: circle an entire outfit and it identifies every item simultaneously. Requires internet connection.
Does Samsung Galaxy AI work on mid-range phones in Bangladesh?
Yes. Galaxy AI features including Circle to Search, Live Translate, Writing Assist, and Note Assist are available on mid-range A-series devices including the A56, A36 5G, and A26 5G — the devices most widely sold in Bangladesh's mid-range segment. Some features require cloud processing and an internet connection.
