Samsung’s next Galaxy Z foldables will give you plenty of AI love with Gemini Intelligence

By Paulo Vargas Published May 13, 2026

Samsung’s next Galaxy Z models are expected to put mobile AI to work in a more practical way. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8, according to Seoul Economic Daily, will reportedly ship with One UI 9 and Google’s new Gemini Intelligence, giving the devices a deeper assistant layer than current Galaxy AI features.

Gemini Intelligence is being positioned as software that can move through related apps and complete linked tasks. In practice, that means a phone assistant that can follow a chain of actions across apps, rather than stopping after a single reply.

The clearest example is a grocery run. A user could write a shopping list in a notes app, ask Gemini Intelligence to move those items into a delivery app cart, then review the cart and pay.

That’s the appeal Samsung has to prove. Fewer taps matter more than another polished chatbot window. Samsung already introduced some app-launching behavior with One UI 8.5 on the Galaxy S26 series, but One UI 9 is expected to handle more than one app in the same request.

The Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are reportedly first in line for Gemini Intelligence, which gives Samsung a cleaner way to sell the next wave of Galaxy AI. Premium foldables have to justify their price every year, and software is one of the few places Samsung can change the daily experience.

There’s still a catch. Gemini Intelligence isn’t in the One UI 9 beta that started for Galaxy S26 users in South Korea and other major markets. It’s expected to arrive in the final release instead, so the real test will be app compatibility, speed, and how much cleanup it leaves behind.

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 in July, giving it an obvious stage for Gemini Intelligence. One UI 9 beta testing has already started for Galaxy S26 users in major markets, including South Korea, but the biggest assistant feature is still being held back for the official release.

For buyers, the smart move is to wait for live demos before treating this as a reason to upgrade. Pricing and regional availability are still missing, and Samsung’s next foldables will have to prove the automation saves time without leaving users to fix the result.