In recent news, there have been speculations that Samsung might be moving some of its Galaxy AI features behind a paywall in the next two years. This speculation arises from a note found on the Galaxy S24 Ultra product page on the US site, stating that Galaxy AI features will be free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices. This suggests that there may be a shift towards making these features subscription-based.
Subscription services for software are not uncommon, with Adobe offering several subscriptions across its portfolio. Consumers are already familiar with the idea of paying for additional storage on cloud services. However, if Samsung were to implement a paywall for Galaxy AI services, the question arises of how much consumers would be willing to pay for these features. Samsung would need to strike a balance between maximizing revenue and retaining a large user base if they decide to go down this path.
It's worth noting that Samsung's Galaxy AI works both on-device and in the cloud, and it is unclear if a differentiation would be made between the two services in terms of payment. Some Galaxy AI features require an internet connection and a Samsung Account. As the demand for AI tools grows, there could be significant costs associated with offering robust AI services in the cloud.
The challenge for Samsung would be to make Galaxy AI attractive enough that consumers feel a strong desire to subscribe to the service. While Galaxy AI has made an impressive debut and will be a key feature of the Galaxy S24, Samsung has confirmed that these AI features will also be available on older handsets such as the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9 series within the first half of 2024. This could potentially weaken the incentive for users to upgrade to the new Galaxy S24, depending on which AI features are retained and at what cost.
Another consideration is that not all AI services on Galaxy devices are exclusive to Samsung platforms. For example, the 'Circle To Search' function demonstrated at Galaxy Unpacked, where the S-Pen stylus could highlight and search for anything on the screen, is actually a Google tool. This feature will be available on the Galaxy S24 family of phones and also on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro starting from January 31st. This raises questions about who provides the AI services, which data is being used, and how consumers can navigate and control their use of different AI services.
Looking ahead, it is difficult to predict which AI tools will be successful, which will remain niche, and which will fail in the coming months, let alone over the next two years. It's possible that Samsung has not made a final decision on the role of Galaxy AI as part of its 2026 plans. This uncertainty raises concerns about the long-term viability of the Galaxy S24 family and the Galaxy AI software.
We have reached out to Samsung for comment on these speculations, and this article will be updated once we receive a response. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how Samsung navigates the evolving landscape of AI services and how consumers respond to potential changes in pricing and accessibility.
