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Galaxy S26 series' trump card has finally leaked

The best AI features might be exclusive to the Galaxy S26.

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By Anam Hamid

Updated: Dec 14, 2025, 1:03 AM

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Galaxy S25 line. | Image Credit - PhoneArena

Samsung's generative artificial intelligence model Gauss will be more deeply integrated into the Galaxy S26 than previous models, paving the way for some exclusive features, according to leaker @chunvn8888.

Will this be the Galaxy S26 line's killer feature?

It looks like new Galaxy S26 AI features will run on-device.

While plenty of Galaxy S26 features have been leaked, no concrete information was available about the exclusive software-side features that popular leaker Ice Universe had hinted at. That mystery has now been unravelled, apparently.

Although Gauss was first introduced in 2023 and is believed to power some of the AI features on the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, Samsung has never explicitly talked about the model in reference to its phones. Instead, it has always touted Galaxy AI — the suite of AI features on its devices — as a joint effort between itself and Google.

Samsung's current phones take a hybrid approach, where some of the AI features run on-device, and others are cloud-based. That could change with the Galaxy S26.

Gauss will be built into the Galaxy S26 series, enabling many AI features that older Samsung phones might not be able to fully support. That's because those phones take a hybrid approach toward Gauss, meaning many features depend on cloud processing.

So even though older models will get One UI 8.5, the next big software version, they might not be eligible for new AI features.

Local integration of Gauss will require more memory, which is why the Galaxy S26 might manage background apps more aggressively than current phones.

Going all in on AI

On-device AI models run on a device, so they require no internet connection, and also offer better privacy since data isn't sent to the cloud for processing. This can give peace of mind to customers who don't want their information to be sent to remote servers.

It's not entirely clear why the new AI features will be exclusive to the Galaxy S26. Even if Gauss isn't deeply integrated into the Galaxy S25, the AI features should work via the more powerful models hosted on the cloud.

Samsung probably wants to use the new AI features as a differentiating factor for the Galaxy S26 series, which isn't likely to bring much to the table in the way of hardware-based features.

Would more powerful, on-device AI features be enough to upgrade to the Galaxy S26?

Will this backfire?

Apple relied on AI features to sell the iPhone 16, but that didn't really work, partially because the company overpromised.

Samsung appears to be attempting something similar. If the new AI features are a cut above what's already available and are actually practical, Samsung's approach might work.

By using a home-brewed model to power the new AI features, Samsung will also reduce its reliance on Google. It was previously reported that the company was also in talks with software company Perplexity AI to underpin some of the AI tools on the Galaxy S26.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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