Samsung Named Among TIME’s 10 Most Influential Hardware Companies

Samsung has carved out a spot among the world’s most impactful hardware makers, earning recognition from TIME in its latest “Most Influential Companies” ranking. The publication even calls it the “consumer tech king” as the industry moves into a more practical phase of AI. So far so good.

TIME says Samsung is the “consumer tech king”

“The next phase of AI will be less about dazzling new models than making the technology feel useful in everyday life,” TIME writes, adding that few companies are better positioned for that shift than Samsung. The reason is pretty straightforward. Samsung builds both the infrastructure and the end products. From “the high-bandwidth memory chips training AI models in data centers” to phones, TVs, and wearables, the company is involved across the entire pipeline.

At the same time, it’s still making big hardware bets. TIME notes Samsung has “pushed into foldables, a health-tracking smart ring, and AI-powered smart glasses” being developed with Google and Qualcomm, expected in 2026. More recently, there’s no shortage of evidences that they’re coming soon.

The bigger idea, as TIME puts it, is that “the sprawl was the strategy all along.” What once looked like overreach now lines up with where AI is headed, less about standalone breakthroughs and more about how it shows up across everyday devices. In January 2026, Samsung confirmed that it plans to bring Galaxy AI features to as many as 800 million devices by the end of this year.

Apart from Samsung, TIME’s list of the top 10 most influential hardware companies includes Nvidia, Boston Dynamics, Caterpillar, and Dell Technologies. It also features DJI, Fujifilm, Huawei, Micron Technology, and Qualcomm.