Perplexity wants its AI pre-installed on smartphones. Talks with major Android makers underway

The startup led by Aravind Srinivas and backed by tech giants is aiming to break Chrome’s dominance by bringing conversational AI search directly to millions of smartphone users. Imminent agreements could reshape the landscape of mobile web in 2026.

Negotiations that aim to change the rules of mobile search

In recent hours, Perplexity AI has entered advanced negotiations with several leading smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Comet AI, the new browser with integrated conversational search, on upcoming devices. The strategy clearly echoes the model that brought Chrome to dominance: being visible and ready to use, among the default apps, when the user turns on the phone for the first time.

The goal is clear: to introduce conversational AI search to the masses and scale the user base from a few hundred thousand to tens or even hundreds of millions by 2026, focusing on OEM distribution to challenge the major players.

What is Comet AI: more than a browser, a conversational assistant

Comet AI presents itself as a next-generation browser in which the search and command bar merges classic functionalities with the capabilities of an AI assistant. Users can ask questions, request summaries, get explanations, or automate micro-tasks without leaving the browser, thanks to native integration with the Perplexity engine.

Among the key features already announced...

• Natural language and contextual responses, with the ability to draw from the user’s history, files, and bookmarks to personalize results.

• Integrated automation: booking services, filling out forms, extracting data directly from the page.

• Hybrid processing between cloud and device, to optimize privacy and response speed.

Potential partners and market strategy

According to internal sources, Perplexity is close to a deal with at least two of the main Android manufacturers, while there are reports of preliminary talks with Apple to potentially integrate parts of the conversational engine into Siri in the future.

The move is designed to challenge Chrome’s near-monopoly—which today holds about 70% of the mobile market—by offering a real conversational alternative integrated from the device’s very first use. This paradigm shift, if successful, could force even the major traditional players to rethink their distribution and interface strategies.

Roadmap and resources: the scalability challenge

The announcement comes just months after a record-breaking funding round: in May 2025, Perplexity raised $500 million, reaching a $14 billion valuation. These resources are specifically earmarked to support the development and global rollout of Comet, with an expanded mobile beta already planned by the end of 2025 and pre-installation deals in advanced negotiation.

The roadmap calls for accelerated growth, with the browser ready to play its hand in the battle for the search interface of the future.

Towards a new browser war: classic search vs. integrated AI

If the negotiations are successful, 2026 could see the opening of a new front in the browser wars: on one side, Google, with the strength of classic search and the ubiquity of Chrome; on the other, Perplexity with Comet, betting everything on artificial intelligence and conversational interaction. For users, a genuine choice between completely different search models is on the horizon, with impacts on privacy, speed, and how we access information.

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