Samsung partners with Perplexity AI ahead of Unpacked, what it means for Galaxy S26 users
Samsung has announced its partnership with Perplexity AI. As part of the partnership, Perplexity’s AI assistant will be introduced on the Galaxy S26 series along with Bixby and Google’s Gemini.
Samsung is all set for its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event to be held in San Francisco on February 26. Ahead of the event, the South Korean chip maker has announced a partnership with Perplexity AI. As part of this partnership, Samsung will bring the AI Search Assistant directly to the upcoming Galaxy S26 smartphone, with wider availability expected soon.
This means that Samsung Galaxy users, including buyers of the upcoming Galaxy S26 users, will now have access to Perplexity’s AI assistant in addition to Bixby and Gemini. Users will be able to activate Perplexity AI by simply saying “Hey Plex.” The new voice commands will work with existing AI assistants, giving users more flexibility and options depending on what they want to do.
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Samsung says that Perplexity will be embedded inside Galaxy AI at the system level. This means it won’t work as a standalone download. Instead, it will integrate directly into Samsung’s core apps like Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminders, and Calendar. Select third-party apps will also support it, although Samsung hasn’t yet revealed which ones.
How to use Perplexity on Galaxy phones?
Samsung Galaxy phone users will be able to access Perplexity by saying “Hey Plex” or pressing the side button. For example, users can search for trip details, save notes, set reminders, and add calendar entries without manually jumping between apps. Tangle can also be launched via quick-access controls.
Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25
Meanwhile, Samsung is preparing for its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event, which is scheduled to take place on February 25 in San Francisco. The event will begin at 10:00 am (11:30 pm IST) and will be livestreamed on Samsung.com and YouTube. Unlike previous years, when flagships were launched in January, this year’s event is a little later and is expected to focus heavily on AI.
The highlight of the event will likely be the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, which is expected to include the S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra models. Rumors suggest that the Ultra variant may feature a 200-megapixel main camera upgrade, a new privacy-focused display technology, and Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon processor in select markets. Samsung is also expected to unveil One UI 8.5, which will feature deeper “Genetic AI” features and tighter integration of Perplexity AI into the interface.
Apart from smartphones, Samsung may introduce the Galaxy Buds 4 lineup and introduce future products like AI-powered smart glasses.
