With the impending release of Samsung’s One UI 8.5, users can anticipate a significant enhancement to a feature that has long been overlooked.
Bixby, Samsung’s digital assistant that first debuted on the Galaxy S8 series in 2017, is rumored to play a more prominent role in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
According to reports from SamMobile, the revamped Bixby is expected to integrate two AI assistants: Perplexity from the US and DeepSeek, a Chinese competitor that gained popularity in early 2025.
Together, these assistants are poised to elevate the Bixby experience significantly. Leak posts on Reddit suggest that the new Bixby will be capable of sourcing information from the web, generating audio and images, as well as facilitating the upload of photos, documents, and screen shares.
Additionally, a real-time feature called ‘Bixby Live’ is said to mimic Gemini Live, while ‘Circle to Ask’ appears to be a similar concept to Circle to Search.
Proshis_Saha_Swopna / Reddit (edited)
Over the years, Bixby has faced criticism and mockery for its limited functionality, with most Samsung Galaxy users only utilizing it for basic device commands and settings. As competitors like Google Assistant and Alexa surged ahead in the AI space, Bixby struggled to keep up.
By partnering with Perplexity and DeepSeek, both reputable AI providers, Samsung aims to revamp Bixby and close the gap with other advanced AI assistants like Gemini and ChatGPT.
While the One UI 8.5 beta was released in December, Samsung has yet to confirm the official launch date for the final version. However, reports suggest that it is likely to debut on the Galaxy S26 series, rumored to be unveiled on 25 February.