Qualcomm CEO Says Your Phone Is About to Become the Least Important Device You Own

The CEO of Qualcomm, the company that makes the chips in most Android phones, just said something wild at the biggest mobile tech conference in the world: your smartphone is about to lose its throne.

Speaking at MWC Barcelona this week, Cristiano Amon declared 2026 the "year of the agent." He is talking about AI agents, which are basically digital assistants that do not just answer questions but actually observe what is happening around you, make decisions, and take action on your behalf.

Here is where it gets interesting. Amon says these agents will need data from everywhere, not just your phone. Your smartwatch, your smart glasses, even a tiny camera you wear as a pin could all become critical sources of information feeding your personal AI agent. The phone stops being the center of everything.

"We are going to move from a smartphone-centric, app-centric digital ecosystem to an agent center," Amon said. "They do not only respond to you. They observe, they interpret, they act."

Qualcomm already has Samsung, Google, and Lenovo signed up to build devices with their new Wear Elite chip, specifically designed to run AI on tiny wearable devices. First products are expected this summer. The app era might actually be ending.

As reported by Bloomberg via East Bay Times.

Source: Bloomberg