Samsung Unveils Galaxy S26 With Multi Agent AI

Samsung is once again poised to redefine the smartphone experience with its ambitious move into multi-agent artificial intelligence. As the company readies its Galaxy S26 series for launch on February 25, 2026, it has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its Galaxy AI platform—one that promises deeper, smarter, and more seamless integration of AI agents than ever before. At the heart of this transformation is the debut of Perplexity AI as a system-level agent, working hand-in-hand with a newly upgraded, conversational Bixby. The goal? To make juggling multiple AI assistants as easy as asking a single question. According to Samsung’s internal research, nearly eight out of ten users now rely on more than two AI agents for their daily tasks, a figure that’s hard to ignore in an era where digital helpers are everywhere. As reported by Android Authority and corroborated by Samsung’s own press releases, this insight drove the company to rethink how AI should work on its devices. Rather than siloing assistants into separate apps, Samsung is weaving them directly into the operating system. The result is a multi-agent ecosystem where each AI can play to its strengths, and users no longer have to hop between apps or repeat themselves to get things done. The most eye-catching addition is Perplexity AI, which will debut on the Galaxy S26 series as a deeply embedded system agent. Users can summon it hands-free with the new wake phrase, “Hey Plex,” or by holding down the phone’s side button. Perplexity isn’t just another chatbot living in a single app; it’s designed to work across core Samsung apps—Notes, Calendar, Gallery, Clock, and Reminders—as well as select third-party apps. This means you could, for example, ask Perplexity to plan a follow-up for a client call, and it would pull highlights from your meeting notes, create a to-do in Reminders, suggest available times in Calendar, and even attach a relevant image from Gallery, all in one go. No more juggling screens or piecing together information yourself. As Forbes explains, this is part of Samsung’s broader effort to make its AI tools more intuitive and helpful. The company has faced criticism in the past for feature bloat and for Bixby’s struggles to gain traction against other assistants. But Samsung’s recent updates are a clear attempt to address those pain points. The new Bixby, rolling out with One UI 8.5, is now a conversational device agent that understands natural language commands. Instead of memorizing exact menu names or settings, users can simply describe what they want. For example, you might say, “Why is my phone screen always on when it’s inside my pocket?” and Bixby will bring up the Accidental Touch Protection setting. Or, as another example, ask Bixby to dim the display at 9 p.m. every day, and it will set up the routine automatically. What’s more, the upgraded Bixby now offers real-time web search within the assistant interface, providing up-to-date answers to user queries. This feature, available in the One UI 8.5 beta in select markets such as Germany, India, Korea, Poland, the UK, and the US, is expected to see a wider release alongside the S26 launch. The beta also includes the February Android security patch and a host of other refinements, signaling Samsung’s commitment to keeping its flagship devices at the cutting edge. But Samsung’s vision goes beyond just making Bixby smarter. As noted by GSMArena, the company is betting on a future where multiple AI agents can coexist and complement each other. The revamped Galaxy AI acts as an orchestrator, bringing together different forms of AI into a single, natural, cohesive experience. "We’ve been committed to building an open and inclusive integrated AI ecosystem that gives users more choice, flexibility and control to get complex tasks done quickly and easily. Galaxy AI acts as an orchestrator, bringing together different forms of AI into a single, natural, cohesive experience," said Won-Joon Choi, President and COO of Samsung’s Mobile eXperience Business. This system-level integration is more than just a technical flourish. By allowing AI agents to operate at the OS framework rather than within individual apps, Samsung can offer lower latency, greater reliability, and improved privacy. The company points to protections like Samsung Knox and on-device processing for sensitive tasks, while heavier queries can be handled in the cloud with transparent prompts for users. The S26’s upgraded neural processing units (NPUs) also play a role, enabling faster summarization, longer context windows, and richer multimodal interactions—making real-time, cross-app orchestration feel instantaneous. Crucially, Perplexity isn’t replacing Bixby. Instead, the two agents are designed to work side by side, each excelling in different domains. Bixby will handle device navigation and routine commands, while Perplexity steps in for research, reasoning, and more complex, multi-step workflows. This approach, as The Verge and Android Authority highlight, means users aren’t locked into a single assistant or forced to adapt their habits to the limitations of one tool. If Samsung delivers on its promise of seamless, low-friction workflows—especially inside core apps and, eventually, popular third-party tools—it could significantly reduce the cognitive overhead of managing a modern smartphone. For now, the Perplexity integration is confirmed for the Galaxy S26 series, but Samsung has hinted that more details about supported devices and experiences will be announced soon. This suggests that recent Galaxy flagships and other device categories could gain similar capabilities through firmware updates and server-side switches as the Galaxy AI framework evolves. Samsung’s move comes as the tech industry at large pivots from simple voice assistants to true AI agents capable of planning, reasoning, and executing tasks. Analyst firms like Gartner have spotlighted AI agents as a key strategic trend for the years ahead, and Samsung’s open, multi-agent approach sets it apart from competitors who still favor more closed ecosystems. Meanwhile, users are left to weigh the benefits of these powerful new tools against concerns about privacy and feature overload. As one online commenter quipped, “Indeed it is a multi-agent ecosystem, now there will be multiple spy junkware on Galaxy devices. Amazing, is this really what anyone needs or wants?” Time will tell whether Samsung’s bet on orchestrated, practical AI will pay off. But one thing is clear: with the Galaxy S26 series, the company is inviting users to imagine a world where getting things done on your phone is as simple as asking once—and letting a team of smart, invisible assistants handle the rest.