(Credit: Eric Zeman)
Galaxy AI is one of Samsung’s biggest areas of innovation, but some are nervous they'll soon have to pay for its features. Samsung has been clear since launch that it may begin charging for Galaxy AI from "the end of 2025" onward. That deadline is fast approaching, but the company has yet to confirm plans for a paid subscription.
Some speculated this week's Unpacked event would be when Samsung would unveil a paid structure for Galaxy AI, but that didn't happen. However, the brand did use briefings around the event to confirm Galaxy AI's default features will remain free.
In a briefing on Samsung's latest foldable smartphones, a representative for the company confirmed default Galaxy AI features will remain free to use.
"We've been building this open platform that supports collaboration with a diverse variety of AI agents," said Peter Park, Senior Product Manager at Samsung Electronics America. "While plans for premium AI experiences will be decided in close coordination with our partners, there are no plans to charge for Galaxy AI experiences provided by default."
That means features like Audio eraser, Drawing Assist, Generative Wallpapers, Live translation, Note Assist, Now brief, Writing assist, and Zoom nightography will remain free. As Android Police points out, anything on this Samsung website that isn't made in collaboration with Google is a default feature, and therefore should remain free to use.
The complicating factor is Galaxy AI is sometimes paired with Google's Gemini features, which Samsung won’t have control over pricing for.
For now, Samsung hasn't shown any clear signs of introducing a paid subscription. We may hear more about it later this year, or it may be that Samsung has used the "end of 2025" date to ensure it wouldn't have any legal disputes if it did choose to launch a subscription. Samsung may ultimately choose to keep the service free for longer.
Right now, it’s likely Samsung wants to keep these features free to encourage more usage of Galaxy AI. Many people upgrading their phones for the first time in two years won't have had access to Galaxy AI until they buy a new phone.