In a new interview, Samsung’s Won-Joon Choi has commented on how Samsung will stay ahead when Apple releases its first foldable, as well as discussing…
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 are big improvements in the face of stiff competition from China, but they also come as the first foldable from Apple is on the horizon. In a new interview with Bloomberg, Samsung’s mobile President Won-Joon Choi was asked how Samsung will “keep its edge” following Apple’s debut, saying (edited for clarity):
We’ve been doing this for many years and we have accumulated a lot of technologies and know-how. And, having another global technology company this category is good for the industry and is going to be great for the consumers.
The interview went on to ask Choi about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 being the company’s first foldable with an Exynos chip. He said that Samsung has a “rigorous process” when picking a chipset and that the company looks at performance, power consumption, and other “reasonable aspects of the consumer requirements.” When asked if Samsung will use Exynos 2600 in next year’s Flip, he said that Samsung will “consider every option.”
Following that, Choi is asked about the potential 25% tariff that Galaxy phones could be looking at for devices not made in the United States. He explains that Samsung has multiple “manufacturing facilities in key regions around the world” which make it possible for the company to have “a lot of flexibility” in responding to trade policies. Speaking directly to this US tariff, though, Choi says there “are a lot of uncertainties” but that Samsung has been working to ensure that products headed for the US market can be manufactured in “multiple locations.”
Moving on to AI – of course – Choi teases that Samsung wants to bring more AI to its devices beyond just Gemini.
He explains:
…Gemini will not be the only AI assistant we’re going to integrate with Galaxy. We’re going to integrate multiple AI assistants and AI agents with this framework that we’ve built.
It could be anything, as long as these AI agents are competitive, and AI agents can provide the best user experience, we are open to any ideas. We are talking to multiple vendors. I think at the time of [Galaxy] S26 you’re going to see more. In addition to Gemini, you’re going to see more at the time of [Galaxy] S26.
While nothing specific was said, Perplexity and ChatGPT were both mentioned by the interviewer with Choi reiterating that “anyone” is open. But, with a tease that we’ll hear more alongside the Galaxy S26 launch next year, it seems all but certain that Samsung has some specific partners in mind.
Choi concludes the interview by discussing how Samsung views the smartphone as the “central hub” for AI in the future.
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