TL;DR / At a Glance: What is Charles Kim’s vision for Galaxy AI in 2026? In our exclusive President of Samsung Malaysia Charles Kim interview, Kim defines Galaxy AI as the “standard of intelligence.” His vision focuses on Invisible AI, where features like Now Brief and Privacy Display work behind the scenes to remove friction from daily life. For Kim, the success of the Galaxy S26 series lies in its ability to make technology second nature, specifically targeting Malaysian pain points like privacy on public transport and managing busy work-life schedules.
At Adam Lobo TV, we’ve always told you to “Watch First, Buy Smart.” But as we move into the 2026 flagship cycle, Samsung’s mobile hardware—as impressive as it is—is only half the story. To understand where the world’s most popular smartphone line is headed, I sat down for an exclusive conversation with Charles Kim, the President of Samsung Malaysia.
In a market as fast-paced as ours, Charles isn’t just selling a device; he’s selling a way to manage the “real-life chaos” of modern Malaysia. From the crowded morning commute on the LRT to protecting precious family time over the weekend, we dive deep into why Samsung believes the best AI isn’t a gimmick you use, but an invisible assistant that works with you.
Privacy is a Public Utility
One of the most insightful moments of our chat was Charles’s focus on the Privacy Display. While many brands focus on “flashy” AI, Samsung is solving a very local pain point: commuting in close quarters.
Moving Beyond the “AI Gimmick”
Charles is candid about the industry’s tendency to over-label everything as “AI”. On the Galaxy S26 Series, he argues the goal is to remove friction, not add another button to press.
“AI is a term widely used for various contexts, sometimes it is a definition that is used too loosely… On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, AI isn’t something you use, it’s something that works with you.”
The End of “Notification Fatigue”
For the jugglers, those balancing work, family, and side hustles; Charles points to Now Brief and Now Nudge as the new essentials. These features consolidate the noise of daily life into actionable priorities.
The Ecosystem Play
What stood out to me during this interview was the shift from Smartphone to Smart Living. Charles touched on SmartThings; how your phone communicates with your air conditioner and washing machine.
In 2026, Samsung isn’t just fighting for your pocket; they are fighting for your home. By making the S26 the “standard of intelligence” for your entire household, they are creating an ecosystem where the phone is merely the remote control for your life.
Here’s the full transcript of the interview. Lightly edited for grammatical errors and clarity.
The Full Transcript: Adam Lobo x Charles Kim
Adam: Was there a moment personally for you, when using the S26 where you didn’t tap anything, didn’t search anything… but the phone still got it right?
President Charles: Yes, information wise, I rely on Now Brief and Now Nudge a lot in my day-to-day activities. These are great AI features that have proven to be staples to the Galaxy experience.
However, I feel that the true standout features for the Galaxy S26 Series, which I have also enjoyed, are the new Privacy Display and the Horizontal Lock features. As a private user, I really appreciate the value that Privacy Display brings me when I’m out in public. I’ve seen many of our Malaysian users feel the same about this feature, since many of them typically commute with public transport and spend their time in public, it really does stand out as something that brings real value and changes the way we use our phones.
The same goes for Horizontal Lock, I enjoy this feature as well as many of our Malaysian users do too. Filmmaking on our mobile devices is at its peak now and we at Samsung have seen so much positive feedback for this feature for videography. Until today, I continue to enjoy seeing so much creative content being done well by our Malaysian users and fully believe that the Galaxy S26 Series has got it right at enhancing the quality of life for our users with these features.
Adam: In Malaysia, people juggle work, family, side hustles… sometimes all at once. How does the S26’s AI actually keep up with that kind of real-life chaos?
President Charles: While I do have a team at work that supports me in managing my day-to-day work, I find that the Galaxy S26 Series works amazing outside of work as well. It’s important to me that when I’m spending quality time with my family, my phone stays silent, but continuously works to organize and alerts me to any urgent tasks that need my attention.
The AI features on the Galaxy S26 really grounds me and helps me focus on what really matters during my weekends. I really appreciate that I can step away from my phone to focus on family while my phone consolidates all the alerts I get and suggests what I can do next.
Adam: If you had to pick just one AI feature on the S26 that people would actually use every day, which would it be and why that one?
President Charles: Photo Assist is one of the features I love the most on my Galaxy device. It’s something that I dabble with in my free time. I keep a lot of photos from my travels, both at work and with family and sometimes I do some editing with Photo Assist to enhance them. I’m very happy to say that this feature has been hugely successful since launching with the Galaxy S24 Series and we see a lot of our users, most of them active on social media, rely on this feature and enjoy using it a lot too. It’s one way for everyone to create visually amazing content with the powerful camera on the Galaxy S26 Series.
Another great thing about AI is that it can be used to enhance pictures at night. Nightography on the Galaxy S26 Series is fantastic for this. Since I work most of the day, I make the evenings a time for me personally. I love when I can take pictures at night and not worry about how my photos turn up.
Now Brief is also a great feature that helps me ground my days. I check it in the morning, and within seconds I know exactly what’s ahead, meetings, priorities, even small things I might’ve missed. In my day-to-day responsibilities, missing one detail can have a big ripple effect. So having something that helps me prioritise and manage my time, without me having to search through notes and calendars, is incredibly valuable. It’s simple, but it’s something you end up relying on every single day.
Adam: Some people still think AI on phones is just a gimmick. What would you say to someone who feels they don’t need any of this?
President Charles: I understand why they would feel that way. AI is a term widely used for various contexts, sometimes it is a definition that is used too loosely. But this is different. On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, AI isn’t something you “use”, it’s something that works with you.
AI can work behind the scenes to make things more seamless; this removes the friction in our day-to-day activities so we can focus on things that matter. Take SmartThings for example, where Samsung devices across our mobile and home appliances cut across and communicate with each other. SmartThings can recognise your routine, help regulate your temperature with your air conditioner at home, it alerts you when your laundry is done, and it can detect when you’re away from your television and adjust your volume accordingly.
This is what smart living is about, rather than focusing on the hardware, we focus on the experience, offering comfort and simplicity without constant interaction.
Adam: If this is what Galaxy AI looks like today… What’s one thing that you would have in the future that will genuinely change how we use our phones daily?
President Charles: I envision Galaxy AI to become the standard of intelligence. The goal of AI is to simplify tasks and make things more intuitive to use, to the point where we don’t have to think twice about it, making it become second nature. It’s all about offering a seamless experience and continuing to refine that experience.
The foundation is there with how the Galaxy S26 handles data, context, and multi-step tasks. And we are moving fast into the future with exciting new innovations on the horizon.
