Samsung reveals how its Galaxy AI features could be monetized

Summary

• Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series with Galaxy AI onboard, but the company’s plans for this AI solution beyond 2025 remain unclear.
• The president of Samsung’s mobile business, TM Roh, hinted at providing more powerful AI capabilities for consumers who are willing to pay.
• Roh further said that Galaxy AI features will make it to 100 million devices this year, with the Galaxy S23 series and the Galaxy Z Fold 5/Z Flip 5 models expected to get it within the first half of 2024.

Samsung’s launch of the Galaxy S24 this month was unlike any other, with the company betting big on the Galaxy AI branding. However, one aspect that makes us somewhat skeptical is the fact that these Galaxy AI features will only remain free until next year. The president of Samsung Mobile, TM Roh, has now shared some insights into how the manufacturer will go about managing this after 2025.

Roh spoke about a wide range of topics in a media briefing, including Samsung’s future goals for the Indian market, as per an ET Telecom report. The topic of Galaxy AI being free until 2025 expectedly came up, with the executive saying Samsung still hasn’t settled on what to do beyond 2025.

What caught our attention here is Roh’s mention of including “more powerful AI capabilities” for people who are willing to pay. The executive also acknowledges that a segment of smartphone consumers would be perfectly content with using AI attributes that are free. Here’s the quote in full.

“According to our analysis, there are various needs for mobile AI. So, there will be consumers who will be satisfied with using the AI capabilities for free. Then there could also be customers who wish for even more powerful AI capabilities, and even pay for them. So, in the future decision making, we will take all these factors into consideration,” TM Roh, President, Samsung Mobile.

It’s hard to say which one of the currently available Galaxy AI features will be covered under the free tier. But this quote indicates that the company may be willing to offer at least some of them for free. It will be interesting to see which ones will be retained, though pretty much every Galaxy S24 owner will hope some of the AI-based camera tricks make the final cut.

As SamMobile speculates, Samsung may choose to charge for AI features that take a heavier toll on its cloud infrastructure. But since the company appears to be somewhat uncertain about what to do beyond 2025, it seems like there won’t be an answer anytime soon.

Another noteworthy bit that struck us from the briefing is the company’s willingness to bring Galaxy AI features to 100 million devices this year. We presume this is in reference to Galaxy smartphones and tablets, as Samsung’s wide array of home appliances — including those shown off at CES recently — don’t include the Galaxy AI branding, but will have AI in some form.

The target of reaching 100 million devices doesn’t sound too big when we factor in the millions of Galaxy S23 models and the Galaxy Z Fold 5/Flip 5 that will pick up Galaxy AI capabilities within the first half of the year. Unfortunately, the company has chosen to limit Galaxy AI capabilities for flagship phones and tablets launched in 2023 and beyond, which means phones like the Galaxy S22 will miss out.