Samsung and Google’s love story: A power couple fighting OpenAI and Apple in the tech arena

At first glance, the ongoing Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose is about the launch of the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S25 series, a flagship smartphone family that promises to push the boundaries of mobile innovation. But look a little closer, and you’ll find that the real story wasn’t the dazzling specs or the AI features of the S25 Ultra, which has, as expected, taken the internet by storm.

The real story is actually about partnership, that between Google and Samsung, their logos standing side by side of each other, glowing in the LED backlight as symbols of a deep and abiding partnership in an uncertain and ever-evolving tech landscape.

As many experts have noted, the partnership between Google and Samsung is a strategic necessity. The two corporations, one a Silicon Valley giant and the other a South Korean chaebol, have almost nothing in common culturally and are, in fact, poles apart.

So to understand why Samsung and Google need each other now more than ever, we must go back to their origin story and revisit their respective journeys in the tech industry. And in this, the big elephant in the room happens to be two other tech titans: competitors OpenAI and Apple.

The Beginnings of Dominance

In the early 2000s, Samsung was already a dominant player in consumer goods and electronics, boasting a diverse portfolio that spanned refrigerators, televisions, and washing machines. By 2002, it controlled 7% of the nascent mobile phone market. Google, meanwhile, was building its empire around search—a tool that would soon become ubiquitous with the internet age.

The arrival of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 disrupted the status quo, with its sleek design and seamless integration of hardware and software. Google came back in response with the operating system, Android, which the tech giant offered to phone manufacturers as an open-source alternative, and Samsung quickly embraced it, wanting to enter the phone market for long. This partnership allowed Samsung to leverage Google’s software expertise while focusing on its strengths: cutting-edge hardware design and component manufacturing.

Diverging Paths and Converging Needs

Over the years, both companies flourished in their respective domains. Google’s Android ecosystem grew, drawing app developers and cementing its dominance in mobile operating systems. Samsung, meanwhile, became a global leader in smartphones, offering products that catered to both budget-conscious consumers and premium buyers.

But if all was well, where was the complication?

The answer lies with the ongoing artificial intelligence boom. In particular, the arrival of Sam Altman-led OpenAI on the scene. This arrival of AI revolution has created a new dynamic, changing the rules of the game that were in force since, at least 2007. Yes, Google has doubled down on AI, developing tools like Gemini, which is its answer to ChatGPT, the generative AI tool. However, it is also true that Gemini hasn’t had the kind of success OpenAI has had so far in the AI game. Most importantly, we are in a situation where search, which is the largest contributor to Google’s revenue, and which Google led unchallenged over its other rivals like Microsoft’s Bing, may not be Google’s pre-eminence in the near future. How? Because, as recently as two months ago, OpenAI has already started introducing search-like capabilities into its ChatGPT, enabling the latter to crawl through the web in order to provide answers to various queries.

Where does that leave Google? Google knows that AI is the answer and it has to double down. And the partnership with Samsung becomes crucial for that very same reason: the South Korean giant excels in hardware innovation, and if combined with Google’s AI prowess, the resultant marriage can indeed prove to be formidable in the tech world.

Why Samsung Needs Google

Samsung’s strength lies in its ability to produce world-class hardware. From foldable displays to 200MP cameras, its innovations set industry standards. But in a market increasingly driven by AI, hardware alone isn’t enough. Consumers now demand seamless, intelligent experiences.

This is where Google comes in. With Gemini and its AI-driven capabilities, Google offers Samsung the software muscle needed to compete in the AI era. Features like live-translation during phone calls, AI-assisted photo editing, and automated task management, showcased in the Galaxy S25 series, highlight how deeply integrated AI can redefine smartphone utility.

Moreover, Google’s ecosystem—spanning Gmail, YouTube, and the Play Store—adds immense value to Samsung devices. The ability to create a cohesive experience across apps and devices ensures that Samsung remains competitive against Apple’s walled garden.

Why Google Needs Samsung

While Google dominates search and advertising, it relies on hardware manufacturers to bring its software to life. Samsung, as the world’s largest smartphone maker, is Google’s most important Android partner. The success of Android, and by extension Google’s mobile strategy, hinges on Samsung’s ability to produce devices that consumers love.

Additionally, Samsung’s massive footprint in emerging markets like India provides Google with a direct channel to billions of users. In these markets, where affordability often dictates consumer choice, Samsung’s diverse portfolio ensures that Google’s software reaches a wide audience.

Facing the AI Boom Together

The unveiling of the Galaxy S25 series serves as a showcase for what this partnership can achieve. AI tools like Now Brief and AI Select, powered by Google’s technology, demonstrate a new level of sophistication in smartphones. These features, seamlessly integrated into Samsung’s hardware, show how the two companies can create a user experience that rivals anything Apple or OpenAI can offer.

However, the challenges are significant. OpenAI’s plans to enter the search space could threaten Google’s core business. Meanwhile, Gemini, while promising, has yet to establish a strong market presence. By joining forces, Samsung and Google can pool their resources and expertise to counter these threats.

Also, if Samsung and Google can see the challenges ahead and, therefore, bring their synergies together doesn’t mean they are the only ones to do so. On the other end of the spectrum, Apple and OpenAI have already explored these synergies. In fact, in early June last year, during the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, the two tech giants, in a bid to gain an upper-hand in the ongoing AI arms race, announced that they would explore alignments with each other, wherein Apple would start integrating ChatGPT into its products.

In fact, when the deal was first announced, several in the tech world were surprised because Apple as a company has always been a kind of a lone ranger, wanting to chart its own path in its own way. But the winds of generative AI are too strong for even Apple to look away. And it knows, exploring alignments and synergies is the only way forward, especially when Apple itself does not have inbuilt expertise in the field of generative AI.

The Road Ahead

As the AI boom reshapes the tech industry, the relationship between Samsung and Google will be crucial. Their partnership is a testament to how two companies, with different strengths and histories, can come together to navigate a rapidly changing landscape.

In the end, the logos of Samsung and Google standing side by side at the Unpacked event in San Jose represent more than a business alliance. They symbolise a shared vision for the future—one where hardware and software merge seamlessly, and where AI becomes not just a feature but the foundation of our digital lives.