Samsung One UI 6.1 update gives more Galaxy devices the Galaxy AI treatment
Galaxy AI emerges onto Galaxy S23 and Z Flip and Fold 5
Samsung teased Galaxy AI ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked event, and until now, we thought it might be a set of exclusive AI features for new Galaxy devices. The Samsung Newsroom just announced that Galaxy AI will be coming to previous Galaxy devices with a new One UI 6.1 update.
While these "older" models might not have premium on-device AI tech for the full experience, they'll still gain access to most Galaxy AI features via cloud-based AI tech. According to Samsung, the One UI 6.1 update will start rolling out "from the end of March," and it'll be "available across the Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5 and Tab S9 series."
If you have one of the mentioned devices, here's a quick look at which Galaxy AI features you can use once the update reaches your device.
Which Galaxy AI features are being added to previous-gen Galaxy devices?
At the bottom of Samsung's Newsroom announcement, there's a footnote that reads "Some AI features from the Galaxy S24 series may not be available in previous generation models." But a quick glance at the post reveals that most of the highly anticipated Galaxy AI features for the Galaxy S24 series are also coming to older devices, including:
- Chat Assist: This feature can help adjust your message tone in professional or personal chats and translate messages in 13 different languages.
- Live Translate: During live phone calls, this feature can provide real-time voice and text translations.
- Circle to Search: This Google feature lets you circle something in an image and generate "intuitive search results."
- Note Assist: From Samsung Notes, you can use Galaxy AI to summarize the text or create a specific format with the provided text.
- Browsing Assist: Generate quick (but comprehensive) summaries of news articles to save time.
- Trancript Assist: Transcribe recorded meetings using AI, and then generate a summary to send to all the attendees.
- Generative Edit: Resize, reposition, or realign objects in your photos using this feature.
- Edit Suggestion: If you don't want to edit your photos yourself, this feature can help you out.
The Newsroom post also included a quote from TM Roh, the President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. He said, "This is only the beginning of Galaxy AI, as we plan to bring the experience to over 100 million Galaxy users within 2024 and continue to innovate ways to harness the unlimited possibilities of mobile AI.”
Could Samsung have plans to bring Galaxy AI to even more Galaxy devices than the ones mentioned today? It's certainly possible, but it'd likely be at least six months to a year before anything would be officially announced, conveniently giving users plenty of time to upgrade from the S21 or S22 series to the S23 series for its newly acquired Galaxy AI features.
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Sarah Chaney is a freelance tech writer with five years of experience across multiple outlets, including Mashable, How-To Geek, MakeUseOf, Tom’s Guide, and of course, Laptop Mag. She loves reviewing the latest gadgets, from inventive robot vacuums to new laptops, wearables, and anything PC-related. When she's not writing, she's probably playing a video game, exploring the outdoors, or listening to her current favorite song or album on repeat.