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Yesterday, at the Galaxy S24 launch event, Samsung spent much time talking about Galaxy AI. It is a comprehensive suite of on-device and cloud-based AI features for Galaxy flagships. The company projected Galaxy AI as the biggest selling point of the devices. Tools like live translation for phone calls and circle to search certainly have the potential to elevate your smartphone user experience. But, as we revealed in our exclusive leak last week, all of this might come at a cost. Galaxy AI won’t be free for life.
You may have to pay to use Samsung’s Galaxy AI after two years
At Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung went into detail about all the new AI features that it has introduced with the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. It demonstrated how AI will enhance the way you use your phone. However, it never suggested that you will have to pay to use Galaxy AI. Unfortunately, that appears to be the truth. Not out of the box, but the company might start charging you for the new AI tools a couple of years later.
Samsung hinted at it in the footnotes of its official press release announcing the Galaxy S24 series in Australia. “Galaxy AI features will be provided free of charge until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices,” the footnote reads. The same press release was also published in its other regional newsrooms, including Europe and the US. However, this specific footnote doesn’t exist on any of those. We could only find it in the Australian version.
While this is a little confusing, Samsung’s long-term plan might be to charge for some Galaxy AI features. We hope it doesn’t hide them all behind a paywall. That would be a terrible decision. It remains to be seen which features will need a subscription and what will be the cost. The Korean firm might not tell us more anytime soon, though. Its only aim right now is to sell as many Galaxy S24 units as possible without any controversy or issue. The phones are currently available for pre-order.
The new AI features will reach older models too
Samsung’s new AI features will also be available for older Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5. Hardware constraints could limit the availability or functionality of some tools on certain models, but the company plans to make Galaxy AI available on over 100 million Galaxy devices in the first half of this year. We will let you know when the rollout begins.