When Samsung introduced Galaxy AI alongside the Galaxy S24 collection, one of many first questions on everybody’s lips was: will older telephones obtain these superior options? In any case, Samsung has one of many business’s main replace insurance policies, with trendy handsets receiving 5 to seven years of main updates, elevating expectations for immediate, long-term characteristic assist.
After simply a few months, Samsung rolled out its One UI 6.1 replace, full with Galaxy AI, to the Galaxy S23 collection and the Tab S9 household, in addition to foldables just like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5. Thus far, so good — final yr’s handsets run Galaxy AI simply in addition to the newer S24 collection. Nonetheless, it does beg an entire different query: why improve? Samsung said that older handsets with lengthy replace commitments would obtain an analogous replace in due time.
That point has come, with One UI 6.1 rolling out to 2021 and 2022 flagships, which incorporates the Samsung Galaxy S21, in South Korea and can quickly be heading to the remainder of the world. Nonetheless, in response to the changelogs, some older handsets solely obtain a subset of Galaxy AI options, leaving many purchasers with a paired-back imaginative and prescient of Samsung’s AI expertise. The Galaxy S21 collection, as an example, seems solely to get Circle to Search (basically a revamped and rebranded Google Lens), whereas the Z Fold 3 is ready to obtain AI-generated wallpapers and AI picture modifying. Speak about a blended bag.
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My intestine says the curse of Exynos strikes once more, as that appears to be a defining distinction between the S21 and Z Fold 3 when it comes to AI-capable {hardware}. And sure, there are Snapdragon variants inside the Galaxy S21 collection, however Samsung has at all times been reluctant to separate options throughout chipset traces, preferring as an alternative to carry again options to maintain a degree playfield for its clients.
Regardless, various options inside the similar replace for merchandise in the identical technology actually isn’t supreme, undoubtedly resulting in shopper confusion (and presumably complaints) about why their cellphone can do some new issues however not others. To Samsung’s credit score, nevertheless, bringing each new characteristic to each gadget eternally is not possible. {Hardware} strikes on, in spite of everything, and the rapidly altering tempo of AI, particularly options that run on-device, is rapidly pushing up the {hardware} necessities to run the newest and biggest instruments.
Nonetheless, very similar to Google and its Pixel 8 AI characteristic fiasco that has left the seemingly succesful however extra reasonably priced mannequin with out many options of its Professional sibling, the scenario is all of the more durable to understand for Galaxy AI options that run within the cloud. Be aware Help, Reside Translate, and Chat Help all require an online connection, in response to Samsung, whereas Internet Translation within the Samsung Browser has a cloud-based mode too. Nonetheless, these aren’t featured within the replace heading to older handsets from the Galaxy S21 collection. Maybe they nonetheless require a component of on-device processing that older telephones aren’t able to, or possibly Samsung is conscious of the prices of cloud computing for hundreds of thousands extra shoppers. Both method, it’s not fully clear why some options have made their method again to older fashions however not others. Moreover, I’m left scratching my head as to why a few of these couldn’t be app updates slightly than showing in a brand new model of One UI, particularly if the processing is cloud-based.
AI appears to have made it more durable to meet all of the expectations of long-term replace assist.
Returning to our Pixel comparability, Google has struggled to convey lots of its newest and biggest AI options again to older handsets too, regardless of the touted AI chops of its Tensor processor contained in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 collection. There’s clearly a restrict to what Samsung can do with older {hardware}. This all goes to indicate that long-term replace insurance policies supply no assure that you just’ll obtain each new characteristic that comes with the newest telephones. One thing to contemplate when shopping for these telephones that promise seven years of updates. Will you be hankering for brand spanking new options lengthy earlier than then?
The AI arms race has clearly thrown a spanner within the works with regards to backporting each cutting-edge characteristic, and there’s no getting round the truth that pundits will grumble and shoppers could also be bemused by the truth that the newest One UI doesn’t fairly have all the newest options. That stated, we’re comfortable to see core OS upgrades make their method again to Samsung’s older Galaxy flagships in a well timed method, and the model nonetheless deserves a pat on the again for displaying how Android updates ought to be performed.
