Samsung is turning its 2026 televisions into always-on AI interfaces. At its The First Look Seoul 2026 event, the company announced a new Vision AI Companion that can answer questions about whatever’s on your screen, powered by a choice of three assistants: Bixby, Perplexity AI, and Microsoft Copilot. The feature arrives across the entire lineup, from flagship Micro RGB sets to new Mini LED models, as first reported by Maeil Business Newspaper.

A TV That Answers You Back

The Vision AI Companion is Samsung’s most direct attempt yet to make the television a conversational device. Rather than pausing a show and reaching for a phone, viewers can simply ask aloud where a movie was filmed or query a sports record while the game plays on. The assistant pulls relevant, contextual answers without interrupting playback—a move designed to keep attention glued to the big screen.

Samsung is leaning hard on the word “companion,” framing the feature not as a search bar with voice control but as a persistent, adaptive helper. That marketing choice mirrors how phone assistants are now sold, but the TV adds a layer of ambient, shared use that phones can’t replicate.

  • Ask real-time questions: “Where was this scene shot?” or “Show me the team’s season record.”
  • Answers appear unobtrusively over the content.
  • The system uses AI to understand what’s on the screen and match the query.

More Than One AI Brain

In a break from the single-assistant model, Samsung’s 2026 TVs ship with Bixby, Perplexity AI, and Microsoft Copilot available out of the box. The company says this makes it the industry’s widest selection of AI service platforms on a television. For users, it means you can lean on Bixby for device controls, Copilot for broader productivity-style answers, and Perplexity for conversational search—all without installing anything extra.

The multi-assistant approach is both a feature and a hedge. If one assistant falters on a particular question, another might handle it better. But juggling three AI personalities could also confuse households that just want one voice to get things right. Samsung will need a seamless interface to keep “choice” from becoming “clutter.”

  • Bixby: likely the default control layer (volume, inputs, smart home).
  • Perplexity AI: positioned for in-depth, answer-oriented search.
  • Microsoft Copilot: could extend into productivity, calendar, and document queries.

A Living Room Hub for Every Budget

Samsung is not reserving the new AI tricks for the most expensive panels. The 2026 range brings Vision AI Companion to everything from the 115-inch Micro RGB flagship down to the new Mini LED and UHD models. This broad deployment normalizes AI as a base TV feature, not a premium upsell.

Pricing from the event gives a sense of the spread. The 85-inch Micro RGB RH95 series lists at 9.29 million won (roughly $6,800), while the same-size Mini LED MH80 comes in at 3.39 million won (about $2,500). Even the entry-level UHD sets are getting the AI layer, signaling that Samsung wants the technology in as many living rooms as possible, not just home theaters.

Hardware highlights:
- Micro RGB: 65, 75, 85, and 100-inch options.
- OLED and Neo QLED continue as premium tiers.
- New Mini LED line spans 43 to 100 inches across four series.
- Lifestyle TVs: The Frame adds a 98-inch model; The Movingstyle portable screen now goes up to 85 inches.

For everyday viewers

If you’re a casual watcher, Vision AI Companion could replace the habit of second-screening on a phone. The ability to quickly check a production detail or sports stat without losing the moment is the most immediate benefit. But it only matters if the assistant is fast and accurate enough that you actually use it—demo-day promises need to survive daily couch time.

For gamers and cinephiles

AI enhancements extend beyond voice. Samsung bundles AI Soccer Mode Pro for sports fans and AI Sound Control Pro for automatic audio tuning. Gamers may see fewer direct hooks in this announcement, but the underlying AI platform could eventually support real-time hints, streamer integration, or gameplay overlays. The multi-assistant setup leaves that door open.

For design-conscious buyers

The Frame remains the category-defining art TV, and the jump to 98 inches signals that Samsung sees it in bigger, more ambitious spaces. Meanwhile, The Movingstyle’s expansion to 85 inches blurs the line between portable screen and full home theater. If your home design matters as much as your display tech, these models give you a way to stay inside Samsung’s ecosystem without sacrificing aesthetics.

The Journey to Ambient Intelligence

Televisions have been “smart” for over a decade, but the experience often still feels like a grid of apps. Samsung started pushing deeper software integration with Bixby a few years ago, while competitors like LG with ThinQ and Amazon with Fire TV carved their own paths. The missing piece was context: an assistant that knows what you’re watching and can build on that moment naturally.

That gap is closing fast. On phones, AI assistants now handle multi-step queries, and Samsung’s own Galaxy devices already juggle Bixby alongside Google Assistant or Copilot. The 2026 TV lineup mirrors that phone strategy—a deliberate move to make the living room screen another node in a household AI mesh. What makes TV unique is that it’s a shared device, often with multiple people speaking or interrupting. If Vision AI Companion can handle messy, real-world family viewing, it will stand out.

Should You Buy In? Here’s What to Consider

If you’re in the market for a new TV this year, the AI companion might tip the scales, but don’t let it blind you to fundamentals.

  • Wait for hands-on reviews. Voice features live or die on responsiveness and accuracy. No amount of stage demos can guarantee a smooth living room experience. Watch for independent testing once sets ship.
  • Assess your household’s comfort with voice. Always-listening devices in a social space can feel invasive or awkward. Think about whether family members will actually talk to the TV.
  • You don’t need to go premium to get AI. Because Samsung is pushing Vision AI Companion down to Mini LED and UHD models, you can access the core software without paying Micro RGB or OLED prices. If the assistant is your main interest, a mid-range set may be the smarter buy.
  • Check how well the multi-assistant system works. If switching between Bixby, Perplexity, and Copilot is clumsy, you may end up using only one—and wondering why the other two are there. Samsung must prove that “largest selection” doesn’t mean “least cohesive.”
  • Consider the ecosystem play. If you already own Samsung phones, appliances, or soundbars, a TV that ties into the same AI fabric might add more convenience than mixing brands.

What Comes Next

The 2026 lineup will face immediate competition from other majors, all racing to embed AI into their panels. But the real test won’t be feature count; it will be daily usefulness. Samsung could reset expectations for how a TV behaves in the room—or it could deliver another set of clever demo tricks that fade from memory. The next few months of real-world use and software updates will show whether Vision AI Companion earns a permanent spot on the couch.