Samsung has officially announced the introduction of a significantly upgraded Bixby, integrated within its upcoming One UI 8.5, currently available through a beta program. This major overhaul transforms Bixby into a more conversational device agent, designed to offer Galaxy users intuitive device control and natural language interactions. A key highlight of this enhancement is the integration of Perplexity AI, which provides Bixby with real-time web search capabilities, enabling it to deliver more up-to-date and factual answers. While an earlier 'Next-generation Bixby' with generative AI features was introduced in China in November 2024 for specific regional devices, the One UI 8.5 integration marks its broader rollout and enhanced capabilities for the global market. The One UI 8.5 update itself is based on Android 16 and is presently undergoing beta testing, primarily for the Galaxy S25 series. The stable version of One UI 8.5 is anticipated to roll out starting in March 2026, possibly pre-installed on the forthcoming Galaxy S26 series. This strategic move by Samsung aims to bolster Bixby's competitiveness against other leading AI assistants by leveraging advanced large language models for better contextual understanding and multi-command processing. This initiative underscores Samsung's commitment to advancing AI capabilities across its device ecosystem.