Samsung could get Google's impressive Android upgrades first – even before Pixel
The new folding phones from Samsung could debut this exciting feature
Quick Summary
Samsung could debut Google Intelligence on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 devices this summer.
With the arrival of One UI 9 on the phones, it's likely that Google's new AI will be showcased before it gets pushed to Pixel devices.
Samsung could be the first brand to roll-out Gemini Intelligence, ahead of Google's own Pixel phones. That could see the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 as the debut devices for Google's new AI system.
However, it looks like Google is once again handing the baton to Samsung for the announcement, rather than letting it make its debut on the Pixel 11.
This isn't the first time that Google has turned to Samsung for such an occasion: we saw Samsung lead the way with Circle to Search in the past, using Samsung's huge platform to announce the feature on the Samsung Galaxy S24 before pushing it to Pixel phones.
That seems to be the approach that Google is taking with Gemini Intelligence, too. According to Seoul Economic Daily, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 will come with One UI 9 including Gemini Intelligence.
Indeed, during The Android Show and the announcement of Gemini Intelligence, Mindy Brooks, VP of Android platform, had name-dropped Samsung within the first minute, saying "starting with Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel later this summer".
Samsung's new foldable phones are expected to be announced on 22 July at a Galaxy Unpacked event in London. And it's here we'll likely see the new tech's first outing.
Although, as Google has already confirmed that it's coming to Pixel phones, it's likely that Google will push Gemini Intelligence as an update soon after. This could be within days or weeks, without the need to wait for new devices.
Gemini Intelligence will span all Android platforms including phone, watch, glasses, car, laptop and tablet, making smarter links between your apps, your information and what you want to do. Google calls it "seamless automation", designed to handle "the tedious stuff".
A key part of Gemini Intelligence is to act through other apps, to find and organise information. If you don't have the apps, it can also use Chrome, with Google putting the emphasis on "getting things done".
The idea is you spend less time heading to a specific app to do things and have Gemini do it instead. For example, Gemini can find your course books from a list you've been sent and add them to a shopping cart for you to buy, or it can plan a holiday for you - leaving you to make final checks and then hit the buy button at the end.
Gemini Intelligence will also handle things like form filling, able to extract information from places on your phone, while it will also clean up voice inputs to remove the "ums" and "ahs" as you talk for a cleaner message.
While Pixel phones are expected to get Android 17 in the early summer, it's unlikely to be tied specifically to that version of Google's software. Instead, we expect Samsung to showcase Google Intelligence on its new phones, before Pixel executes a much wider update.
