Samsung's new foldable phone opens up its AI strategy

Driving the news: Samsung debuted three foldable phones and two watches at a New York event on Wednesday.

• The Galaxy Z Fold7 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and features a 6.5-inch cover display and unfolds into an 8-inch display. It's thinner than the company's past foldable phones and lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it starts at a hefty $1,999.
• The Galaxy Flip7 has a 4.1-inch cover screen that flips open to reveal a 6.9-inch main screen and starts at $1,099.
• The lower-end Galaxy Flip FE has a slightly smaller 6.7-inch main display and starts at $899.
• Samsung will take early orders today, with general availability set for July 25.

The big picture: In an interview with Axios, Samsung executive vice president Jay Kim said he sees the phone retaining its central place in the AI era.

• But the interface will evolve, he said, likely becoming less dependent on users touching their screens. AI will more fully integrate voice input into the device — as well as seeing both what's on the phone's screen and what's out in the the real world, through its camera.

Companion devices will also become more important with the rise of AI. That includes devices Samsung currently sells, such as smartwatches and fitness rings, as well as devices in the works, including Android XR glasses.

• "There will be wearable devices around you that will connect to and coordinate with your phone to actually make AI more ambient around you," he said.
• At the same time, there will also be AI in other types of products such as the TVs and appliances that Samsung also makes.

All of that plays to Samsung's strengths as one of the broadest players in the electronics space. However, the company expects that fully taking advantage of AI will be a long-term effort.

• "It will take many years to get to that point, but we started very early," Kim said. "I think we're making very good progress."

Between the lines: Samsung has two big questions to answer as it fleshes out its AI strategy.

• First, the company needs to figure out what AI features it wants to provide directly versus where it will rely on partners, especially Google and Qualcomm.

• "15 years into smartphone era, I think we really understand what's our strengths are," Kim said.
• Kim highlighted health and smart home control as areas where Samsung can offer unique services.

Meanwhile, the company is largely relying on Google's Gemini for broad, cloud-based AI.

• Google debuted its "circle-to-search" feature on last year's Samsung devices. It's now more broadly available on Android devices.
• Google is announcing an update Wednesday that allows video game players to get help based on where they are at in the game.

Second, Samsung — like its biggest smartphone competitor, Apple — must decide which AI work should be done on the device itself versus what should be handled in the cloud.

• "There's a lot of things that you can actually manage on device and provide the consumer a better experience," Kim said.
• On-device AI has potential benefits when it comes to cost, latency and privacy, but limits on processing power and battery life will likely force more complex tasks to the cloud.
• Among Samsung's early on-device AI efforts is Now Brief — a personalized daily update including schedule and traffic info, health data and access to personalized music and video recommendations.

What's next: The company is working with Google on both AI-equipped glasses as well as Project Moohan, a mixed-reality headset along the lines of Apple's Vision Pro.

• "I'm excited about it, but there's more to come," he said.