Your affordable Samsung phone could also get Galaxy AI features soon – and you won't have to pay a penny more

But what Galaxy AI features will you be getting?

Samsung Galaxy A55 review
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Quick Summary

Galaxy AI will be coming to some Galaxy A devices, according to a report.

There's no additional detail on what Galaxy AI features will be available, at present, nor when the update will arrive. 

When Galaxy AI first launched, it was the preserve of Samsung's top phones. The Galaxy S24 Ultra – Samsung's flagship phone – really kicked things off when it launched in January 2024, ushering in a new era for Samsung's devices.

But, since then we've seen Galaxy AI roll out to more devices, including older Galaxy S phones and the more recent Galaxy Z models, but it seems that Samsung's more affordable phones will soon benefit from the AI experience, too.

According to details from SamMobile, the Galaxy A series is in line for an update that will bring Galaxy AI skills to some mid-range devices. The Samsung fan site highlights that the update is expected to come with One UI 6.1.1, the version of Samsung's interface that recently launched on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6.

That's likely to happen before the roll-out of Android 15, which is expected to arrive with One UI 7, so this update could be coming in the next few weeks or months.

Currently, it seems that the Galaxy A35 and the Galaxy A55 are the models in line for the upgrade, both of which were launched in 2024. There's no indication that Samsung will bring Galaxy AI to older Galaxy A phones, but it could be the case that some features will trickle down to older devices.

What will Galaxy AI bring to Galaxy A phones?

The question is what you'll actually get from Galaxy AI on these mid-range devices.

First of all, we have to assume that some functions designed to run on devices might not make it to Galaxy A, because of the processing demands. Although the performance of these devices is pretty good, if the NPU – which often handles AI tasks – can't keep pace, the experience won't be that great.

Galaxy AI covers call assist, chat assist, interpreter, note assist, transcript assist, browsing assist, photo assist, drawing assist, photo ambient wallpaper and health assist. Some of these features are based around language processing (basically the first six categories), while there's a couple of image-based options too.

It's likely that Samsung will want to preserve some Galaxy AI skills for exclusivity's sake – and I suspect that will include the recent "Sketch to Image" offering from the Z Flip.

If I was going to make a prediction, it would be that the language-based functions will move over, allowing you to compose replies with AI and carry out translation.

Exactly what functions Galaxy A phones get remains to be seen, but it shouldn't be long until we find out.

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Chris Hall

Chris has been writing about consumer tech for over 15 years. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint, he's covered just about every product launched, witnessed the birth of Android, the evolution of 5G, and the drive towards electric cars. You name it and Chris has written about it, driven it or reviewed it. Now working as a freelance technology expert, Chris' experience sees him covering all aspects of smartphones, smart homes and anything else connected. Chris has been published in titles as diverse as Computer Active and Autocar, and regularly appears on BBC News, BBC Radio, Sky, Monocle and Times Radio. He was once even on The Apprentice... but we don't talk about that.