Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features, which were unveiled during the first Galaxy Unpacked event in 2024 and will be included on the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra phones, will be free until 2025.
This was not made obvious at the Unpacked event, but a careful check at Samsung’s terms and conditions for the Galaxy S24 webpage reveals that “Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices.” Different conditions may apply to AI functionality offered by third parties.
So, it appears that features such as the AI-powered Generative Edit will require a charge or subscription to access at some point next year. It is also unclear how much this would cost, and what specific functions would be subject to a paywall and which would not.
The Galaxy AI functions include live translation, smart photo editing, intelligent note summaries, real-time language translation, and the useful ‘Circle to Search’ tool.
It’s worth noting that some of the AI features are incorporated within the phone, while others are cloud-based and require an internet connection; this could be how Samsung justifies the price.
So, according to these terms and conditions, Samsung Galaxy S24 consumers will only get around two years to experience the AI advancements, unless Samsung extends the duration or quits the idea.
Unsurprisingly, Samsung kept this information private because some have already taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with paying a subscription for their phone, which could affect sales of the new flagship phone by discouraging potential purchasers.
Users of previous devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9 series, will also benefit from some of the cloud-based Galaxy AI functions.
It’s yet unclear which features will be supported and which are exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series. The Galaxy AI upgrades for these older smartphones are expected to be launched before June of this year.
This has occurred before
Apple tried a similar strategy with the Emergency SOS via Satellite function on the iPhone 14, initially offering two years of free service but later changing it to three years of support.
Meanwhile, Google’s Magic Editor is free for Pixel phones, with extra skills available to everyone through the subscription-based Google One. This also includes cloud storage, a VPN, and monitoring the dark web for your data.
This subscription-based method appears to contradict Samsung’s promise to OS updates, which might keep the Samsung Galaxy S24 in consumers’ hands for seven years of updates.
Overall, time will tell if this is the start of a new trend of paying for new smartphones just to discover that some features are hidden behind a paywall, and it may become another cost to consider when purchasing a new phone.
