There they sat, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s three proud parents: Samsung, Google and Qualcomm. Samsung plays the biggest parental role, but all three have lent a guiding hand in creating what is arguably more of a mobile AI device than a simple smartphone.
Samsung’s Executive Vice President and Head of Customer Experience Office Jay Kim, Google President, Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat and Qualcomm SVP & GM of Mobile Handset Christopher Patrick gathered on stage a day after the official Samsung Unpacked festivities where the company introduced its new line of Galaxy S25 handsets (four in total if you count the teased S25 Edge).
The group spoke at length about their close partnership and the practical aspects of bringing an AI phone to life. Samsung provides the design and most of the hardware, but Google provides the subsystem, Android, Gemini generative assistant, and the Gemini models that many of the phone’s core generative features rely on. Finally, Qualcomm provided the phone’s brains with a custom version of its fastest mobile chip: the Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite for the Galaxy.
The group was led in conversation by analyst Bob O’Donnell of TECHalysis and joined by the University of London and Symmetry’s Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Chris Brauer.
The group described many late-night phone calls and an almost constant discussion about how to integrate AI into the entire mobile system. Google is deeply invested in the Samsung experience and its success, giving Samsung early access to all the latest Gemini models and features.
That’s why the Samsung Galaxy S25 ultra I’m currently testing has the latest version of Circle to Search, which can also identify sounds in videos, and why the latest version of Gemini Advanced is available on all S25 phones as a six months trial period. The tri-partnership is how Qualcomm built a special core on the Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite to house Samsung’s Personal Data Engine locally.
The partnership is also how my S25 Ultra can direct a single prompt through both Google and Samsung’s first-party apps. This means that a single query can enter both Google Search and Samsung Calendar, YouTube and Samsung Notes.
And that’s how the side button on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series is now a Gemini button.
A question of trust
Google’s Samat said that working so closely together required a level of trust between the organizations and deep collaboration on every detail of the hardware and software experience.
Samat admitted: “We often disagree. There was a disagreement about how long to press the button before the assistant appears.”
However, the group did not go into any specific details. What we do know is that it takes maybe a second and a half after the long press for Gemini to appear. Did Google want a longer press? Samsung a shorter? We may never know, but it is clear that they have solved it satisfactorily.
As Samat noted, “Productive disagreement about product design is necessary.”
For his part, Qualcomm’s Patrick also recalled “late night calls and occasional disagreements.”
When asked what keeps them awake at night, Samsung’s Kim joked, “Besides Samir calling — same on the Qualcomm side — I never sleep.”
The Bright, Scary Future of AI
Across the group, they are shocked – and perhaps a bit alarmed – at the pace of change. “I’ve worked in this field for more than 20 years and I’ve never seen the kind of jump we’re experiencing now,” Samat said.
Qualcomm’s Patrick said he hopes that “as an industry, we have the willpower to do what it takes to work together, and sometimes it takes some natural competitors to work together.”
This group and the industry have their work cut out for them. Dr. Brauer, who has followed the industry, presented new figures showing a sharp increase in consumer interest over just six months. A survey last July, around the time of Galaxy AI’s launch, found that 16% of consumers identified themselves as frequent and heavy AI users. Now the figure is 27%.
It seems the partnership—disagreements and all—is only just getting started to meet that demand.
