Anuj Sidharth, Director, Marketing and Communication, MediaTek India and SEA Region
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought a paradigm shift in how we interact with devices and technologies. This shift is most evident in the transformative power of generative AI (GenAI), which is redefining the device experience by turning everyday activities into seamless, intuitive, and highly efficient interactions. Building on this, on-device AI, with its built-in language models, promises unprecedented convenience and personalization, making devices smarter, faster, and more responsive than ever before. Smartphones, as the primary device for everyday activities, naturally sit at the centre of this transformation. According to Counterpoint Research, GenAI smartphone installed base is expected to cross 1 billion by 2027.
Unleashing the power of on-device AI
The shift towards on-device AI processing has brought great demand for robust hardware capabilities. As a result, chipmakers are building powerful mobile computing platforms to support large multimodal AI models directly on devices. Lately, some of the fastest mobile system-on-chip (SoCs), including the recently launched MediaTek Dimensity 9500, have been purpose-built to support this shift. With its third-generation All Big Core CPU design and ninth-generation NPU 990 with Generative AI Engine 2.0, the platform doubles AI compute while reducing peak power consumption by up to 56 per cent.
Exploring applications of GenAI
By embedding GenAI directly into devices, manufacturers can unlock smarter, faster, and more secure experiences, transforming the way people interact with technology. On-device AI is revolutionizing smartphones with real-time language translation that understands context, accents, and idiomatic expressions, even without internet connectivity. Enhanced photography is another breakthrough, where AI-powered algorithms optimize scenes, enable facial recognition, and create augmented reality effects, all processed locally for fast and smooth user experiences.
The next wave of smartphone innovation will be defined by GenAI. With multimodal features, these devices will evolve beyond traditional AI functionalities, to deliver sophisticated and personalised experience.
The smartphone industry is set to transform and will continue to evolve further. As GenAI goes mainstream, smartphone makers are rolling out AI tools to enhance user experience, powered by foundational models, large language models (LLMs) and small language models (SLMs) for on-device processing and multimodal capabilities. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are adopting a hybrid approach, using device-based AI for localised tasks and cloud-based AI for heavy computational needs.
Next-generation AI smartphones will be powered by more advanced chipsets, that aim to boost performance, enhance existing features, introduce new ones, and deliver unprecedented efficiency to drive mobile innovation further. With these revolutionary changes on their way, OEMs will be able to differentiate themselves in the market and bring more unique, value-driven experiences to their customers.
Expanding AI device ecosystem
The rapid growth of generative models is fuelling a vibrant ecosystem where OEMs, chipmakers, developers and AI researchers collaborate to advance on-device AI innovation. This evolution is intensifying competition, pushing companies beyond isolated use cases toward large-scale, integrated applications.
Industry leaders are already redefining smartphone capabilities through AI-driven breakthroughs. Looking ahead, device intelligence will deepen dramatically. As AI becomes more deeply embedded, devices will transform into proactive personal assistants, making everyday tasks more intuitive, efficient, and engaging.
