London hosts the Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, themed A New Shape Unfolds, where the competition for the home AI agent is moving from cloud-based software to silicon-level integration. While Google and Apple remain largely tethered to software-centric models, Samsung is betting that control over the entire stack—hardware, platform, and the AI layer—provides a distinct advantage in the race to dominate the ambient home.
Samsung’s strategy hinges on vertical integration. By controlling the device hardware, the SmartThings platform, and the AI assistant layer, the company is positioning itself to bypass the limitations faced by software-only incumbents. Unlike rivals who must negotiate for system-level access, Samsung’s hardware-first approach allows it to weave AI agents directly into the fabric of its 430 million-plus SmartThings user base, which already coordinates everything from AI-enabled TVs and refrigerators to third-party Matter-compliant devices.
Regulatory shifts are creating a structural opening for this approach. The European Commission’s July 2026 mandate requires Google to open Android to third-party assistants, granting them the same system-level access as Gemini. Simultaneously, the antitrust case brought by Sensory Inc. against Google, which recently moved to discovery, challenges the restrictive distribution agreements that have historically locked users into specific wake words. These legal pressures allow Samsung to deploy its multi-agent vision without the friction of platform-level gatekeeping.
Samsung is moving to capitalize on this by shifting away from single-provider dependency. On the Galaxy S26 and the upcoming flagship lineup, users can select their default assistant from Gemini, Bixby—now powered by Perplexity—or a standalone Perplexity agent. The introduction of the Hey Plex wake word is a direct challenge to the dominance of the Google Assistant. With Perplexity APIs now powering Bixby across approximately 800 million Samsung devices, the company is effectively decoupling its assistant experience from the traditional Google-centric Android model.
The SmartThings platform acts as the connective tissue for this ecosystem. With over 430 million users as of December 2025, the platform links a vast array of hardware. This includes Vision AI-enhanced TVs that provide personalized entertainment and food guidance, Family Hub refrigerators featuring Gemini-enhanced AI Vision for meal assistance, and the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra, which utilizes spill recognition and pet monitoring. By embedding these agents into the home infrastructure, Samsung is attempting to make AI feel like a utility rather than an app.
Hardware context is shifting with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series. The new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, features a 6.5-inch cover display and an 8-inch inner screen, supported by a 5000mAh battery and 45W fast charging. This device, alongside the standard Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, serves as the primary compute node for these multi-agent interactions, leveraging the 39% more powerful NPU in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 to handle on-device AI processing.
The Galaxy Glasses, first unveiled at Google I/O 2026, represent the next frontier for this hardware-native interface. Developed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, these glasses integrate voice access to Gemini, real-time translation, and navigation directly into the user’s field of vision. By moving the AI agent off the screen and into eyewear, Samsung is attempting to make the AI experience more immediate and less dependent on a smartphone, creating a physical bridge between the user and the multi-agent ecosystem.
The trade-off here is complexity. For consumers, multi-agent means choosing the right tool for the task: Gemini for broad search, Bixby for conversational control of Galaxy devices, and Perplexity for specialized queries. While this offers granular control, it also requires a level of user sophistication that may not appeal to everyone. Samsung is betting that the utility of specialized, hardware-integrated agents outweighs the cognitive load of managing them.
Observers should watch how Samsung balances these competing agents during the Unpacked presentation. The company will likely showcase how the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series and Galaxy Glasses integrate into the SmartThings ecosystem. The real test is whether Samsung can successfully differentiate its wake-word experience and prove that a hardware-native, multi-agent approach can provide a more cohesive home experience than the software-only incumbents currently offer.