Early 2026 marks a turning point for the Samsung ecosystem, with the first sighting of the new Bixby. Recent leaks show a completely redesigned assistant that moves away from the concept of a simple voice command to become a solution based on generative AI.
Leaks come from the beta version of One UI 8.5 for the Galaxy S25 series: thanks to a partnership with Perplexity, Samsung aims to close the gap with rivals like Gemini and ChatGPT, offering users a renewed tool, probably arriving with the Galaxy S26 lineup.
The most radical change of the new Bixby lies in its software architecture and user interface, now decidedly more modern and oriented toward a fluid conversation.
When the assistant is activated by long-pressing the power button, there is no longer a simple icon, but a floating text box at the bottom of the screen that allows immediate interaction.
The app can be opened fullscreen, adopting a design that closely resembles the main AI chatbots: there is a side menu to browse the chat history and a quick button to start new conversations.
The integration with the search engine of Perplexity represents the real functional revolution, as it allows Bixby to provide answers based on real-time updated data pulled directly from the internet. By tapping the Perplexity dedicated button, the user can view web search results in a detailed and contextualized way.
In addition to information retrieval, Samsung has enhanced capabilities with third-party services to make the assistant a true control hub. Bixby will be able to communicate with platforms like Spotify, Uber, SkyScanner and X, for example allowing you to book a trip or manage your music, not to mention smart home systems.
Despite these advances, the leak highlights some shortcomings that Samsung will need to address to compete on equal terms with rivals. Currently, the version of Bixby shown in the One UI 8.5 beta does not yet appear capable of analyzing the phone screen or uploading images via the camera or gallery, features that are present in both ChatGPT and Gemini.
However, integration with native services such as Bixby Briefing and Samsung Find does not seem to be missing.
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