Samsung and Google both win big with Gemini on the new Galaxy S25 phones

It’s becoming more and more clear that you simply cannot launch a new smartphone these days without paying loads of attention to the included AI assistant. This is as true as ever with today’s launch of the Galaxy S25 series, and with these new phones we’re seeing Samsung partnering with Google to take AI on these latest Galaxy devices to a whole new level. By deeply integrating Gemini, Samsung is offering users an AI experience that’s more powerful, intuitive, and seamlessly woven into their phones than ever before. And it feels a little Pixel-like.

Gemini at the heart of the S25 experience

With the Galaxy S25, Gemini is front and center, accessible with a simple long press of the side button. This baked-in gesture brings up Gemini, ready to assist with a wide range of tasks, spanning both Google and Samsung’s own applications. Need to schedule an event in Samsung Calendar? Gemini can handle it. Want to jot down a quick note in Samsung Notes? Gemini’s got you covered.

This deep integration is what sets the S25 apart from other Android phones (apart from Google’s own Pixel devices). Gemini isn’t just an add-on; it’s at the center of the whole experience. Like we would be expecting to see in the Pixel 9 series, the new Galaxy phones from Samsung are leaning all the way into the Google-branded AI experience.

A Partnership with big potential

The collaboration between Samsung and Google is a significant step forward for mobile AI on Android devices. By combining Samsung’s hardware expertise with Google’s AI prowess, the Galaxy S25 series looks to deliver an impressive AI experience. And Google says that this is just the beginning, with intent to bring even more innovative and intelligent Gemini features to Samsung devices in the future.

Again, I can’t stress enough how big of a shift this is for both Samsung and Google alike. It’s no secret that Samsung outsells Google’s hardware by a wide margin, so seeing both companies partner up like this feels like a move that will have massive ramifications in the future.

Just a few years ago, we saw Samsung continuing to try and push its own digital assistant with Bixby instead of just relying on the Google Assistant. Meanwhile, Google continued down its own path and as Google Assistant has given way to the far more advanced Gemini, it’s really interesting to see Samsung relenting a bit and acknowledging the fact that they can’t build something as advanced as Gemini currently is (or will become) on their own.

It’s equally interesting to watch Google come alongside a massive brand like Samsung and lend Gemini’s features to their phones. For at least the next handful of years, we all know more Samsung devices will sell versus Pixel devices, so it only makes good sense for Google to leverage Samsung’s reach with Gemini. We’re even seeing some firsts on the way to the Galaxy S25 line with Project Astra set to arrive first on Samsung’s phones.

If you recall, Project Astra was first teased at Google I/O 2024, using a camera to give Gemini access to real-time video and the ability to respond to real-world objects and scenarios. We’ve all been eagerly awaiting its arrival, and it looks like Samsung will get first dibs when it is actually ready for public consumption.

It’s a new world with Google and Samsung continuing to grow closer, and I think its a great thing. The lines are definitely blurring for those of us who are both Samsung and Pixel fans, and software updates like the ones we’re seeing for the S25 line do make me wonder where Pixel continues to carve out a niche in the smartphone market. With a bit over 6 months between the release of these phones and the Pixel 10 series, there’s a bit of time to sort all of that out. In the meantime, it seems that if you want the best Google AI experience on a phone, Samsung is here to deliver it.