Will you have to pay for Samsung’s Galaxy AI? Maybe, says Samsung
When the new range of Galaxy Flip and Fold devices were announced late in 2023, it brought with it a great new way to use Samsung’s amazing tech.
After using it in the S24, I wrote:
Galaxy AI ain’t no gimmick. It’s a useful toolkit that turns your smartphone into so much more.
But the music might be about to stop for some users who bought a Galaxy device expecting that all that AI goodness would stay free forever.
Will you have to pay for Galaxy AI?
Right now (as of late-2024), if you buy a device that supports the suite of Galaxy AI tools, you’ll be able to use it free of charge.
That means you can summarise notes, suggest emails, auto-generate images and translate other languages to your heart’s content.
But Samsung popped a little clue inside the press release material for the latest device – the S24 FE (FE stands for “Fan Edition”, mind you).
At the bottom of the press release, Samsung includes a range of legal disclaimers. You can’t tell a lawyer much, after all, unless you tell them in triplicate.
One disclaimer in the S24 FE press release read thusly:
“ Fees may apply to certain AI Features at the end of 2025. ”
So some of the AI tech you’re getting now might carry with it a cost to use it at the end of next year.
I spoke to a local Samsung representative to try and get to the bottom of the matter, specifically to see which features might be charged and how much you’d have to pay.
It seems, however, that Samsung is still weighing its options when it comes to what could go pay-to-play and how much you’d have to shell out.
Samsung was quick to reiterate that fees “may” apply from “the end of 2025”, but it’s “unable to confirm the features or cost associated at this stage”.
Watch this space.
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I mentioned that this little footnote came amidst the announcement of the S24’s Fan Edition. Here’s what’s new with the S24 FE and when you can get your hands on it.
