Samsungs new Galaxy AI features are only free for a limited time

Date:
Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:14:10 +0000

Description:
Samsung has stated that its new Galaxy AI features will only be available for free until 2025.

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Samsung's new Galaxy AI features, which were shown off at 2024's first Galaxy Unpacked event and debut in the Galaxy S24 , Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra phones, will only be available for free until 2025.

This wasn't made clear at the Unpacked event, but a closer look at Samsung's terms and conditions for on its Galaxy S24 webpage notes: Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties.

So it looks like that features like the AI-powered Generative Edit may
require some form of payment or subscription to use at some point next year. How much this would cost is also currently unknown and it is unclear what exact features would be subject to a paywall and which will remain. (Image credit: Samsung)

The Galaxy AI tools include features like live translation, smart photo editing, intelligent note summaries, real-time language translation and the rather neat ' Circle to Search ' tool.



Its important to note that some of the AI features are built into the phone while others are cloud-based and will require an online connection, this
could be how Samsung justifies the cost.

So going by these T&Cs, this only gives Samsung Galaxy S24 users around two years to enjoy the AI enhancements, unless Samsung extends the period or scraps the idea.



Unsurprisingly, Samsung kept this detail quiet as people have already taken
to social media to express their anger at paying a subscription for their phone and it could impact sales of the new flagship phone by dissuading potential buyers.
This, plus the whole Galaxy AI paywall thing, is why software-based smartphone upgrades are concerning. Why would I pay $1300 for a phone with features that can all be given or taken away at will? January 18, 2024 See more

Users with older devices including the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5 , and the Galaxy Tab S9 series will also share some of the cloud-based Galaxy AI features.

Still, it's currently not clear which features will be supported and which
are exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series.The Galaxy AI enhancements to these older devices are anticipated to be released before June this year. This has happened before

Apple attempted a similar approach with the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature with the iPhone 14 offering 2 years of free service but eventually changed this to three years of support.



Meanwhile, Googles Magic Editor is free on supported Pixel phones with additional tools available to all via the subscription-based Google One .
This also provides cloud storage, and a VPN as well as monitoring the dark
web for your info.

This subscription-based approach seems counterintuitive to Samsungs
commitment to OS updates which could keep the Samsung Galaxy S24 in users' hands for seven years of updates.

Overall, time will tell if this could become part of a new trend of paying
for new devices only to discover some features being locked behind a paywall and it may become yet another cost to factor in when purchasing a new phone. You may also like Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's 5x zoom camera is not the disaster I thought it would be Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra - What Galaxy learned from Pixel Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro review: a gaming phone for everyone



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/samsungs-new-galaxy-ai-features-are-only-free -for-a-limited-time


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