Samsung is facing criticism for not bringing the Galaxy AI experience to mid-range Galaxy smartphone users.
While bringing Galaxy AI to these devices would be a big step forward, the fact is that the company is delaying the update for mid-range Galaxy devices due to the launch of Galaxy AI.
Galaxy AI was first introduced on the Galaxy S24 series with One UI 6.1 in early 2024. While Samsung has rolled out most of the Galaxy AI features to its flagship devices since 2022, the introduction of the technology has significantly slowed down the release rate of One UI updates for older devices.
Before 2024, Samsung typically released One UI x.1/x.1.1 to older devices within 1 month of launch. However, with the introduction of Galaxy AI, One UI 6.1 took 2 months to roll out to older devices after the Galaxy S24 series went on sale. One UI 6.1.1, which launched in July, also didn’t arrive on other devices until September.
While Samsung has rewarded owners of flagship Galaxy phones with new AI features, users of mid-range and budget smartphones have had to wait longer to get them. While One UI 6.1 has a number of new non-AI features, Samsung could have rolled them out faster to older devices without Galaxy AI’s intervention.
This situation could continue with One UI 7, as Samsung needs more time to integrate new AI features for devices launched before the Galaxy S25. This means that mid-range and budget smartphones will have to wait, while some budget devices like the Galaxy A06 5G are already running One UI 7.
To address this, Samsung could consider releasing the Galaxy AI features in a separate update instead of bundling them with One UI updates. Time will tell whether it does this or not.