Samsung is said to be on the brink of a landmark agreement with Perplexity AI, a rapidly growing artificial intelligence startup. According to people familiar with the discussions, the South Korean tech giant plans to invest in Perplexity as part of a broader partnership that would place the startup’s AI search technology at the heart of Samsung’s device ecosystem.

Sources indicate that Samsung and Perplexity have been in talks since April, and in recent weeks, high‐level meetings in Seoul have brought the two sides closer to finalizing an agreement. If consummated, Samsung would preload Perplexity’s app and AI assistant on future Galaxy smartphones, while integrating Perplexity’s search capabilities into the native Samsung Internet browser. Beyond that, discussions are reportedly underway to weave Perplexity into Samsung’s Bixby virtual assistant, giving consumers streamlined access to real‐time, conversational search features without leaving Samsung’s UI.

Insiders have also revealed plans to offer Perplexity as a default assistant option on the Galaxy S26, which is slated to launch in the first half of 2026. Samsung aims to announce the deal as early as late 2025, although final details could still shift.

Founded in 2022, Perplexity AI has rapidly positioned itself as an “answer engine,” blending advanced large language models—such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Anthropic’s Claude—with proprietary summarization technology to deliver concise, source‐attributed answers to user queries. Unlike traditional search, which returns links for users to sift through, Perplexity’s approach emphasizes direct responses with citations, appealing to users who value transparency and efficiency. The startup’s recent collaboration with Motorola, which integrated Perplexity’s assistant into Moto AI, has already demonstrated the potential for on‐device AI experiences.

Perplexity is currently in advanced discussions to raise $500 million at a $14 billion valuation. Should Samsung participate as a lead investor, it would cement Perplexity’s status as one of the fastest‐funded AI companies in recent memory. The new capital is expected to fuel further product development—such as enhancements to Perplexity’s mobile SDK—and help expand server capacity to meet growing demand.

For Samsung, the partnership represents a strategic pivot away from Google’s AI ecosystem. Since 2023, Samsung has increasingly leaned on Google’s Gemini AI—integrating it into One UI’s AI features, from on‐device transcription to smart suggestions. However, by investing in and integrating Perplexity, Samsung signals an appetite for diversifying its AI partnerships, much like Apple has done by enabling ChatGPT in Siri and exploring alternatives to Google Search on iOS.

Industry analysts note that South Korea’s biggest tech company has long sought to reduce reliance on Google due to regulatory pressures in the U.S. and Europe. Embedding Perplexity could also allow Samsung to differentiate its devices in an increasingly crowded Android market.

Introduced in 2017, Bixby has struggled to match the popularity of rival assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. Users often cite Bixby’s slow responses and inconsistent performance as pain points. By infusing Perplexity’s conversational search into Bixby, Samsung hopes to breathe new life into its assistant, enabling it to answer complex queries, summarize long‐form content, and execute multi‐step tasks (for instance, booking a restaurant reservation). While details remain sparse, insiders suggest that Perplexity‐powered Bixby could operate more as an “AI agent”—able to proactively suggest information and services based on context.

The Galaxy S26 series, expected in Q1 2026, will serve as the marquee platform for Samsung’s new AI ambitions. According to sources, Perplexity will be one of several AI assistants users can choose from at setup—alongside Bixby and Google Assistant. If selected, Perplexity’s assistant will be accessible via a dedicated button on the side of the phone, and users can query it directly from the lock screen. Samsung’s native apps—such as Messages, Calendar, and Email—will also be updated to include on‐the‐fly Perplexity suggestions: for example, automatically identifying key dates in messages and summarizing lengthy email threads.

Beyond the phone, leaks suggest that Samsung plans to embed Perplexity into its forthcoming AI‐first operating system, internally codenamed “Project Aurora.” According to sources close to the matter, Aurora is envisioned as a platform that seamlessly blends on‐device and cloud‐based AI, allowing third‐party AI agents (Perplexity included) to collaborate. Users could quickly switch between assistants depending on task—say, calling upon Perplexity for research and another partner for translation. This “AI agents hub” concept would position Samsung as a curator of multiple AI solutions rather than a single‐vendor ecosystem.

While Samsung hashes out its deal with Perplexity, Apple has quietly courted the same startup. Eddy Cue, Apple’s services chief, recently testified that the company is “impressed with what Perplexity has done,” and has explored adding it as an alternative to Google for Siri and Safari. However, Apple remains bound by certain antitrust concerns and long‐standing search agreements with Google, making any switch more complex. Samsung’s move thus underscores a broader shift: hardware vendors are no longer content to rely solely on Google’s AI services in a post‐iOS‐and‐Android world.

Google, for its part, is likely watching closely. Samsung devices currently default to Google Search in the browser and Android’s universal search bar. If Perplexity becomes the go‐to assistant on Galaxy phones, Google would risk losing both user engagement and valuable data on Android usage patterns. That could spur Google to accelerate Gemini’s rollout and deepen its search‐and‐AI integration across other OEMs.

Consumers stand to benefit from having more AI options baked directly into their smartphones. Early previews of Perplexity on motorola Razr foldables showcased quick access to conversational answers, side‐by‐side with standard apps. On Samsung’s hardware—renowned for its powerful Exynos and Snapdragon chipsets—Perplexity could run even faster, enabling real‐time transcription, image‐based queries, and seamless cross‐app context switching. For users who value privacy, Samsung’s Knox security layer might isolate AI workloads on dedicated hardware, reducing data leakage to external servers.

From a developer perspective, Samsung’s “Project Aurora” has potential to open an “AI agents” ecosystem. Third‐party developers could build specialized agents—financial advisors, travel planners, health coaches—that live alongside Perplexity and leverage shared APIs for camera, location, and user preferences. Samsung’s Galaxy Store might become a one‐stop shop for downloading new agents, much like plug‐ins on desktop platforms. If Samsung provides robust developer tools, it could spark an arms race in on‐device AI experiences, with Amazon, Microsoft, and other major players striving to capture mindshare.

Despite the promise, several challenges remain. First, Perplexity must prove it can handle the scale and diversity of billions of Galaxy users. While its data centers are reportedly expanding in Europe and North America, on‐device fallbacks will be critical when connectivity drops. Any outages or performance hiccups could reflect poorly on Samsung’s AI vision.

Second, regulatory scrutiny is intensifying. In both the United States and Europe, antitrust regulators are examining whether big tech firms can leverage partnerships to lock in AI services and stifle competition. A deal that effectively makes Perplexity the default on Samsung phones could draw questions about fair choice—especially if Samsung’s UI makes it difficult to switch back to Google or another provider. Samsung will need to ensure that users can easily opt out or replace Perplexity with another option to satisfy regulators.

Finally, there’s the question of monetization. Perplexity’s business model hinges on subscriptions, API usage fees, and enterprise partnerships. While Samsung’s investment will help fund growth, Perplexity must still translate on‐device usage into sustainable revenue—potentially by upselling a premium version that offers deeper context, source verification, or advanced integrations. Whether consumers will pay extra for that remains to be seen.

If Samsung and Perplexity finalize their partnership by year’s end, it could mark one of the most significant shifts in the mobile AI landscape since Apple introduced Siri. By offering an alternative to Google’s assistant and search engine on its flagship devices, Samsung would take a bold step toward an AI‐diverse future—one in which consumers choose from multiple smart assistants rather than being wedded to a single ecosystem.

For Perplexity, the stakes are equally high. The startup must scale infrastructure, bolster API reliability, and refine its conversational models to meet Samsung’s exacting requirements. Success could catapult Perplexity into a household name overnight—transforming it from an ambitious challenger to a mainstream AI platform. However, any missteps could lead users to revert to more established assistants, making this partnership a make‐or‐break moment.

Ultimately, the potential Samsung‐Perplexity alliance illustrates how aggressively big tech firms are racing to control the next frontier of user interaction: intelligent, context‐aware assistance that blends search, creation, and productivity into a single experience.