On January 17, 2024, Samsung announced one of the most-awaited smartphone series of the year – Galaxy S24. With a few major improvements in the hardware, the main selling point of the devices is Galaxy AI. Across the S24 lineup, users will find helpful features such as Live Translate, Chat Assist, Transcript Assist, Generative Edit, AI Wallpapers, Circle to Search, etc. However, there’s a catch.
Older Galaxy Smartphones And Tablets To Receive Some Galaxy AI Features By June
According to a report by ZDNET, some Galaxy AI features could make their way to older Galaxy smartphones. Users should expect to receive some features on the Galaxy S23 series, the S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and the Tab S9 lineup. However, there’s a catch. These devices won’t receive all the features Samsung showcased at the Galaxy Unpacked event, and here’s why.
While some Galaxy AI features are baked into the device, some are cloud-based. The ones that run on the Galaxy S24 series natively rely on the advanced NPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC for Galaxy. This is why only the cloud-based features, like generative image editing or Circle to Search, should arrive on older smartphones or tablets powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC.
Here’s The Catch: Galaxy AI Might Not Be Free After 2025
The AI features should arrive with a software update before June 2024. However, this is not the complete story. In an Australian newsroom post, Samsung mentions, “Galaxy AI features will be provided free of charge until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices.” This indicates that even the Galaxy S24 users might have to pay for all the AI goodness that comes with the smartphones.
This Could Also Apply To The Indian Galaxy S24 Units
Samsung’s U.S. product page for the Galaxy S24 also mentions the same thing. It also adds that “different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties.” For instance, several features are powered by Google. They could either end up being free or chargeable. Interestingly, even the Indian product page mentions this.
An Android Central report clarifies that buying a Galaxy S24 doesn’t “necessarily” provide users with lifetime access to Galaxy AI. Hence, even though the latest flagship series offers seven years of Android OS upgrades, the Galaxy AI features might not be free for most of the duration.
Previously, we’ve seen Apple declaring the Emergency SOS via Satellite service to be chargeable after the first two years. However, in November 2023, Apple added another year of support. Nonetheless, it is slightly discouraging to see that Galaxy AI, the entire selling point of the Galaxy S24 series, might not be free after the first two years.
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