SEOUL, Jan 16, 2026, 04:43 KST
- Samsung says “Galaxy AI basic features” provided by Samsung are free on supported Galaxy devices.
- The company’s wording leaves room for paid “enhanced” Samsung AI tools and separate terms for third-party AI.
- The update lands as phone makers hunt new service revenue while using AI as a selling point.
Samsung Electronics has updated the fine print around Galaxy AI on its phones, saying its “Galaxy AI basic features” are free while flagging that other AI tools may still come with fees. (Samsung pl)
The change matters because “AI features” have become a headline spec, like cameras and battery life, but they also cost real money to run when tasks rely on cloud servers. Users have been watching for signs that phone makers might put popular tools behind subscriptions.
Samsung’s new wording contrasts with language still shown on some regional Samsung pages that says Galaxy AI features will be provided for free “until the end of 2025,” a deadline that had fuelled speculation about future charges. Those pages also list features such as real-time call translation, writing and note tools, and generative photo editing. (Samsung pl)
On Samsung’s U.S. support pages, the company also ties Galaxy AI access to software updates and a long compatibility list spanning recent Galaxy S models and foldables, underscoring how widely the features are being pushed across its phone lineup. (Samsung pl)
Samsung’s mobile unit has been pitching AI as a mass-market feature, not just a premium add-on. “We really want to increase accessibility of AI for all people,” Won-Joon Choi, president and chief operating officer of Samsung’s mobile device business, told Axios, as he described plans to spread AI across entry-level phones and foldables while treating Apple’s iPhone as the main rival and Google’s Pixel as a key point of comparison inside Android. (Axios)
The broader bet is that AI can keep customers inside Samsung’s software services — and make its phones feel different in a market where hardware upgrades often look incremental.
Samsung has not published a price list for any future paid AI tier tied to Galaxy phones, and the new language does not spell out what, exactly, would be considered “enhanced” versus “basic” over time.
But the fine print still points to a split model: Samsung says its basic AI features are free, while “enhanced” Samsung AI features and third-party AI features can carry different terms and “may be subject to fees,” and some features can be limited without Samsung and Google account sign-ins. (Samsung pl)
That carve-out leaves uncertainty for users in two places — any new Samsung-built tools that land outside the “basic” bucket, and any third-party AI features that depend on partners’ pricing, coverage or subscription rules.
