It matters because the S26 FE is positioned as the affordable version of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S phone.
Because if not, the Galaxy S26 FE launch will be a clear line in the sand between the haves and have-nots.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is getting a new budget variant, but will it get Gemini Intelligence.
The next one is the Galaxy S26 FE, which is positioned as part of the flagship Galaxy S line with flagship-adjacent features.
So that would mean one of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S26 phones won't come with the most important Android software release in years.
Samsung's Galaxy S26 FE will be unveiled on August 27th, and beyond the specs and price, there's a question worth asking that nobody has officially answered: will it get Gemini Intelligence? Google's new agentic suite of AI tools that is, so far, being reserved for the most expensive Android phones.
It matters because the S26 FE is positioned as the affordable version of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S phone. Samsung's own marketing says the new phone is "purposefully designed to bring many Galaxy S26 experiences from camera to AI."
Does that include Gemini Intelligence? Because if not, the Galaxy S26 FE launch will be a clear line in the sand between the haves and have-nots.
Google And Samsung Silent On Galaxy S26 FE AI tools For the uninitiated, Gemini Intelligence is a big step beyond the AI features most people are used to. It’s not a chatbot you open in an app and type questions into. It’s an agentic AI, meaning it acts on your behalf, across your apps, with minimal user input. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is getting a new budget variant, but will it get Gemini Intelligence. (Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images MORE FOR YOU For example, you can ask it to book a restaurant for Saturday and it will search options, check your calendar, and make the reservation and pay anything that needs to be paid. It will book concert tickets, gym classes, fill in complex forms with your details by searching your files for relevant information, or pull items from your Notes into a shopping cart. At the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 press briefing I asked about which Galaxy phones would receive the Gemini Intelligence update and didn't get a concrete response. I followed up with both Samsung and Google and couldn't get an answer, so both companies seem to be guarding that secret closely. Forbes iPhone 17 Pro Max Price Slashed Ahead Of iPhone 18 Release The only way to know is to wait for updates and new phone releases. The next one is the Galaxy S26 FE, which is positioned as part of the flagship Galaxy S line with flagship-adjacent features. The inclusion or exclusion of Gemini Intelligence will reveal how true that is. It does, however, seem unlikely. Google's official Gemini Intelligence device requirements page lists 12GB of RAM as the minimum. The Galaxy S25 FE launched last year with 8GB of RAM. If the S26 FE also has 8GB of RAM that will answer the question. It's possible Samsung releases the Galaxy S26 FE with more RAM so it can run Google's jewel-in-the-crown AI toolkit and bring those features to more people. But we're in the middle of a RAM shortage, so I won't hold my breath. It's worth noting that Google itself cut the base Pixel 11's RAM because of rising costs. So that would mean one of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S26 phones won't come with the most important Android software release in years. Maybe it's time for a name change?
