With Samsung currently in full promotion mode for its upcoming Galaxy S25 range, there’s one critical question that remains unanswered: what happens to Galaxy AI after 2025?
Since the launch of Galaxy AI, a set of features that includes on-device translations and image generation, Samsung has always included a disclaimer in the footnotes. Last year, the official word was “Galaxy AI features will be provided free of charge until the end of 2025”.
Today, that disclaimer remains more or less the same. What has changed, however, is its prominence. Seen at the top of JB Hi-Fi’s pre-order page is a large advert for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It mentions Galaxy AI, immediately followed by the text “Free until the end of 2025”. It’s arguably one of the most front-and-centre disclaimers promoted by a retailer so far.
What isn’t clear is what exactly will and won’t be free after 2025. In a statement to GadgetGuy, a Samsung spokesperson clarified what’s currently on the roadmap; it seems that paywalling some features isn’t yet on the agenda.
“All Galaxy AI features will be free at launch through the end of 2025,” said the spokesperson. “We currently have no plans to adopt paid or subscription-based models, and will carefully monitor market trends and user feedback to ensure we deliver the most premium experience possible.”
Which Galaxy AI features could cost money?
Based on the statement’s inclusion of “currently”, there’s wiggle room if Samsung decides to charge users after 2025. Going back to JB Hi-Fi’s retail listing, the accompanying footnote provides some extra clarity.
“…[after 2025] you may be charged service fees to use Galaxy AI features provided by a third party.”
This seemingly indicates that Samsung’s in-house AI features will remain free to use with compatible devices. Particularly tools that rely on local processing, like transcriptions, language translations, and some of the new One UI 7 features are likely to avoid paywalls.
AI features that rely on cloud servers, which are costly to run, seem the most likely candidates for paid access beyond 2025. Samsung advertises Circle to Search as one of its most popular Galaxy AI features, despite coming from Google. Recent history indicates that companies have struggled to upsell based on AI functionality, however.
Google initially included Gemini Live, its conversational AI assistant, as part of a $32.99 monthly AI Premium subscription. Gemini Live is now free and available to use on other phones, including iPhone. Microsoft 365 prices also recently increased, along with the addition of Copilot AI features that previously required a paid add-on. These moves hint that customers aren’t paying more for AI features on top of existing subscriptions.
If that’s any indication, Samsung has a year to figure out how much some Galaxy AI features should cost, if anything at all.
The post Samsung has “no plans” to charge for Galaxy AI, for now appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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