Skip to main content

Have one of these Samsung phones? You’re getting Galaxy AI features next month

The Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra's rear panels.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (left) and Galaxy S24 Ultra Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you bought a Samsung phone within the last year or so, get ready for a big software update heading your way soon. On February 21, Samsung confirmed that a number of its older smartphones are getting Galaxy AI features as part of the One UI 6.1 update in “late March.”

Samsung introduced Galaxy AI last month with the debut of the Galaxy S24 series. While the AI features have been exclusive to the S24 handsets since their release in January, this upcoming One UI 6.1 update will allow a lot more people to check them out for themselves.

Recommended Videos

As Samsung has previously confirmed, the following devices will receive the Galaxy AI toolkit when One UI 6.1 lands in March:

  • Samsung Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, S9 Plus, and S9 Ultra
Please enable Javascript to view this content

When you get Galaxy AI on any of these devices next month, there’s a lot to check out. Circle to Search is one of the most useful features. It allows you to perform a Google Search for anything you see on your phone just by circling or scribbling on it. There are also helpful translation tools for in-person and phone conversations, powerful AI photo-editing tools, and a feature called “Chat Assist” that can help adjust the tone of your messages. Some of these are less successful than others.

Samsung has also confirmed that its Galaxy AI features will cost money at some point, though it hasn’t said how much or when exactly that will happen. For the foreseeable future, though, all of these features will remain free whether you’re using them on a Galaxy S24 or one of the above devices when they get the One UI 6.1 update in March.

Joe Maring
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Maring has been the Section Editor of Digital Trends' Mobile team since June 2022. He leads a team of 13 writers and…
New video teases the Samsung Galaxy S25’s big AI upgrades
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's screen.

Samsung has hinted at an AI-powered phone for ages now, and we always expected the Galaxy S25 series to focus largely on Galaxy AI. It turns out there may be a lot more to this than expected: a new video from Samsung teases a "true AI companion" and displays the AI performing tasks well outside the scope of Bixby.

In the video, a woman tells the AI, "Hey, I'm off to my next meeting, but I need to find an Italian restaurant. Outdoor seating, pet friendly, of course. Can you send that to Luca? Oh, and can you put that in my calendar?" That's a complex series of requests, spoken with a natural, meandering cadence, and the AI appears to take it all in without missing a beat. Her request for a restaurant also implies the AI knows her preferences well enough to suggest a location she would like.

Read more
MagSafe-like charging will come to Google and Samsung phones this year
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro.

Google and Samsung phones will be receiving Qi2 wireless charging, the answer to Apple's MagSafe wireless charging, this year.

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) said in a press release ahead of CES 2025 on Monday that the "acceleration" of native Qi2 wireless charging support will be rolling out to more Android phones throughout the year, including the Samsung Galaxy and Google's Pixel line of phones. Both flagship companies confirmed their intentions to program Qi2 into their respective devices.

Read more
5 things Samsung needs to do with its folding phones in 2025
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 5's weather apps.

2024 was a challenging year for Samsung as its smartphone lineup has fallen stale just as it faces more competition in every smartphone segment than ever before. The Google Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R challenge the Galaxy A, while the Galaxy S24 series faces challenges in every key market.

Then there’s the foldable lineup, and it’s where Samsung has improvements to make. The company made foldable phones mainstream, but while it drove much of the initial innovation, the competition has begun to surpass it. The OnePlus Open proved that there was an alternative to Samsung’s prowess in multitasking, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 did little to dispel that notion last year. At the same time, Google made a much better foldable with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold; Honor proved that you can have a slim foldable with a big battery, and Motorola proved that it can outdo Samsung on the flip front.

Read more