Samsung is bringing its latest AI smarts features to several older devices.
As part of the rollout of the smartphone maker's new One UI 6.1 software update, a number of older Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets are set to get support for the AI features that previously set them apart from this year's Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
From April 2024 onward, the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Tab S9 series will get access to the following features:
- Chat assist
- Live translate
- Interpreter mode
- Circle to Search with Google
- Note assist
- Browsing assist
- Transcript assist
- Generative Edit
- Edit suggestion
- Instant slow-mo
According to Samsung's head of mobile TM Roh, the move is indicative of the company's commit to empower users by making AI technology more accessible.
“This is only the beginning of Galaxy AI, as we plan to bring the experience to over 100 million Galaxy users within 2024 and continue to innovate ways to harness the unlimited possibilities of mobile AI," he said.
While the move is an obvious win for those who already own any of the above devices, it does undercut one of the biggest selling points for this year's Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra. Why pay the premium for the latest and greatest when last year's Galaxy S23 can be scored either outright or a postpaid plan for less?
It's easy to make the case that a S24 on a postpaid plan won't cost you that much more than a depreciated S23 might but a more convincing answer may be found in the small print. As with this year's Galaxy S24 lineup, the AI features due to drop for Samsung's older stable of devices are only guaranteed through to the end of 2025.
According to Samsung, "fees may apply for AI features at the end of 2025."
While Samsung hasn't come out and confirmed exactly when or how much it plans to charge for continued access to AI features, the fact that it's keen to grow the number of customers using them even if it means potentially cannibalising S24 sales says a lot about how valuable the venture is to the company's long-term strategy.
2 min read
