LG Uplus is partnering with Samsung Electronics to develop an advanced AI digital assistant for a new smartphone expected to be launched in South Korea early next year, The Korea Economic Daily reported.
The collaboration aims to combine LG Uplus’ AI call assistant ixi-O with Samsung’s Galaxy AI, with the device reportedly to be released alongside Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 series.
The operator plans to initially market the AI-powered smartphone under the name Galaxy ixi-O to its subscriber base, but eventually the AI call agent will be available for other operators, the newspaper wrote.
The partnership with Samsung comes as a surprise as the vendor is a fierce rival to the operator’s parent LG Electronics, which exited the mobile phone segment in 2021.
In early November, LG Uplus launched call assistant ixi-O and unveiled plans to invest between KRW400 billion ($285.4 million) and KRW500 billion in AI annually into 2028 with the aim of becoming an AI transformation (AX) company, part of its wider All in AI strategy.
LG Uplus was the third-largest mobile operator in South Korea at end-September with 19.7 million mobile connections, data from GSMA Intelligence showed.
Source: https://www.mobileworldlive.com/devices/lg-uplus-samsung-combine-on-ai-powered-phone/