Samsung might start charging for Galaxy AI, but there’s a silver lining

SammyGuru reports Samsung is working on an AI Premium subscription. Apart from access to new features, it will provide more usage credits for features like photo assist and browsing assist.

Samsung is seemingly testing the subscription through an early access program. Based on hidden strings inside the app, the Max subscription will cost $4.99 a month or $47.99 annually. It will provide users with 4x the current usage limits. Alternatively, the company will offer users the option to purchase a credit pack, though this seemingly won’t enable access to more powerful AI features.

So, what will the paid Galaxy AI premium plan get users? As per the report, they are as follows:

• Gen Video: It will supposedly allow users to “Generate AI videos from your photos.”
• Bixby Action: “Automate tasks across your apps.”
• Daily Briefing: A different take on Now Brief?
• Higher usage limits

The free tier will provide Galaxy AI users with the following features: Browsing assist, Now brief, Creative studio, Smart capture, Samsung Keyboard, Photo assist, and Personal Agent.

Based on internal strings, the report speculates that Samsung could limit its new Galaxy AI features to the upcoming Galaxy S27 series, at least initially.

Galaxy AI going paid was only a matter of time

It won’t be surprising if Samsung started charging for some compute-intensive Galaxy AI features, especially Gen Video or Bixby Actions. Google and Apple already follow this approach, limiting usage of certain AI features or restricting access to higher-tier subscription plans.

With Google, you only get access to the latest and smartest Gemini models with the AI Pro or higher plans, which start at $19.99 per month.

Samsung’s plan to offer usage credits provides a great middle ground for users who don’t want to pay for a Max subscription or can’t justify its cost. They can still make use of the AI features, and when they run out of credits, they can buy more to continue using it.

Plus, by offering usage credits, Samsung will also ensure that it keeps its promise of not charging users for certain Galaxy AI features.

The bigger question is how the company will handle this paid Galaxy AI tier for existing Galaxy devices. Will existing users continue to get the same features for free, or will the company eventually move them behind a paywall?

We should get more clarity on this when Samsung launches the Galaxy S27 series early next year, with the company potentially implementing these changes with One UI 9.5.