Qualcomm and Samsung announced an expanded partnership at Galaxy Unpacked 2026, extending their Snapdragon collaboration to cover foldables, wearables, and Android XR eyewear. The deal is tied to the Galaxy AI ecosystem, Samsung's push to embed artificial intelligence across its device lineup.
The scope of the deal
The new agreement goes beyond the existing Snapdragon-powered Galaxy smartphones. It now includes Samsung's foldable phones, its Galaxy Watch and Buds wearables, and the upcoming Android XR eyewear. Qualcomm will supply custom Snapdragon chips for these categories, optimized for on-device AI processing.
Samsung's Galaxy AI ecosystem relies on chips that can run large language models and other AI tasks locally. The expanded partnership ensures that Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms will power the core AI features across Samsung's hardware.
Galaxy AI is Samsung's umbrella brand for AI features like real-time translation, photo editing, and smart replies. These features need consistent performance across different device types. By standardizing on Snapdragon, Samsung can deliver a unified AI experience from a phone to a watch to a pair of glasses.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR platform, already used in some mixed-reality headsets, will be adapted for Samsung's Android XR eyewear. The foldable and wearable chips will also be optimized for AI workloads, reducing latency and improving battery life.
Samsung is expected to launch new foldable phones and a Galaxy Watch later this year, likely the first devices under the expanded partnership. The Android XR eyewear is still in development, with a release date not yet announced. Both companies have not disclosed financial terms of the deal.
