“It is super, super useful. I have never seen a feature this convenient before.”

On the 25th (local time) at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, United States. At “Galaxy Unpacked 2026,” Samsung Electronics’ new smartphone launch event, Singapore information technology (IT) influencer Denis gave this assessment of the newly released Galaxy S26 series. He cited “Now Nudge,” an artificial intelligence (AI) feature that autonomously suggests necessary functions, as the most impressive innovation. Denis expressed expectations, saying, “It appears to have limitless potential applications across many different fields.”

Samsung Electronics, in unveiling the Galaxy S26 series, emphasized “easy and convenient AI.” Following the launch of the first AI phone, the Galaxy S24 series, in 2024, this third-generation AI phone introduces a new direction termed “mobile agentic AI.” The company aims not only to deliver smart and powerful performance through AI, but also to evolve AI into an everyday assistant (agentic) that anyone can access and use with ease.

Around 1,400 people, including global partners and media representatives, crowded into the venue for Galaxy Unpacked 2026, turning the event into a bustling scene. Attendees’ primary interest was AI, with “Now Nudge” as a representative example. This feature allows AI to understand the context of conversations between people and suggest functions needed at that moment, such as photo sharing or schedule sharing.

Another focus of attention was the “Gemini” AI built into the Galaxy S26, which can handle taxi hailing or food delivery orders in a “one-stop” manner. Normally, to order food, users must open a delivery application (app), search for and select the desired menu, enter the address, and then complete payment. However, if the user makes a request to the AI, all of these steps can be completed with a single statement such as, “I want to eat XXX, please order it for me.” Another influencer, Perry, commented, “It is an innovation that compresses a complex process into a single step. I will start using it as soon as the S26 is released.”

Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of the Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics (photo), said at a press conference held at the JW Marriott Hotel after the Unpacked event, “Samsung Electronics’ goal is to make AI not a privilege for a select few, but a basic infrastructure that everyone uses every day.” Roh presented a target of doubling the number of devices using Galaxy AI from 400 million as of the end of last year to 800 million this year.

The company also plans to further advance the AI operating system (OS) it has co-developed with Google. The AI OS, which links AI capabilities across the entire device rather than at the individual app level, has been applied for the first time in the Galaxy S26 series. Roh said, “Starting with this launch, we will further develop and expand the AI OS.”

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