Samsung Galaxy AI in Galaxy Devices: Features, Controls, Privacy, and What We Know About the Next Galaxy S (S26)

Galaxy AI is Samsung’s umbrella for on-device and cloud-assisted AI features that appear across the Galaxy experience rather than inside a single “assistant” app.

For most users, the first real interaction is not a chatbot window, but an AI button inside apps like Samsung Notes, the browser, or editing tools.

Samsung also makes the availability picture intentionally conditional, because feature access depends on One UI version, device model, and sometimes region.

That conditionality becomes more obvious as AI expands beyond flagships into midrange devices where Samsung itself warns that AI features may be limited or not supported.

For privacy-minded owners, the practical question is not whether AI exists, but which features can be restricted to on-device processing and which are treated as cloud-dependent.

For enterprises, Galaxy AI is a policy surface, because Knox can disable Galaxy AI and even disable specific Galaxy AI operations to align with security rules.

For buyers, the most important update in 2026 is that Samsung’s latest official language no longer reads like a single “free until end of 2025” promise, but like a tiered structure.

Samsung’s current support wording distinguishes “Galaxy AI basic features” from “Samsung enhanced AI features” and “third-party AI features,” with different terms and possible fees for the latter categories.

At the same time, Samsung is already positioning the next Galaxy S launch as “The Next AI Phone,” indicating that Galaxy AI is now the core narrative of the S line going forward.

This updated report explains what Galaxy AI is on current devices, how to control it, how the terms are evolving, and what can be said responsibly about the next Galaxy S generation that many outlets call “Galaxy S26.”

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Galaxy AI is a distributed feature layer across apps, not a single assistant.

Samsung’s own help-center description frames Galaxy AI as a set of machine learning and generative features that appear on compatible devices after a required One UI update.

That framing matters because it changes how you should evaluate it, since the real unit of value is a feature inside a workflow, not the existence of “AI” as a brand label.

Samsung also explicitly ties feature usage to compatibility lists, which is an operational clue that Galaxy AI is not uniform across the entire Galaxy lineup.

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Where Galaxy AI lives on a typical Galaxy device

Surface	Where it appears	What users usually do with it	What Samsung emphasizes
Device settings	Settings sections dedicated to Galaxy AI and related intelligence features	Enable, disable, and manage processing options	One UI requirements and compatibility constraints apply.
Writing and text flows	Writing tools integrated into supported apps and contexts	Rewrite, adjust tone, or transform text	Samsung treats Writing Assist as a core Galaxy AI capability.
Notes and transcription	Samsung Notes and audio-to-text related workflows	Summarize, structure, and transcribe	Samsung includes Note Assist and Transcript Assist as controllable operations in enterprise policy.
Browsing and search	Browser-facing assistance and search-adjacent features	Summarize pages and assist browsing	“Browsing Assist” appears as a distinct controllable category in Knox policy controls.
Imaging and creative tools	Photo and drawing assistance inside editing experiences	Edit, enhance, or generate changes to images	“Photo Assist” and “Drawing Assist” appear in Knox policy controls, signaling feature-level governance.

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The feature set clusters into communication, productivity, and creation workflows.

Galaxy AI is easiest to understand as three clusters because Samsung’s implementation repeatedly shows up in those moments where people communicate, produce work, or create media.

In day-to-day usage, communication-focused features tend to revolve around translation and interpretation, productivity-focused features revolve around drafting and summarization, and creation-focused features revolve around editing and enhancement.

An unusually practical way to map the real scope is to look at Knox’s list of “operations,” because that list names what enterprises can block, which implicitly defines what exists as a discrete feature category.

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Galaxy AI operations as defined by Knox policy controls

Workflow cluster	Operation name in Knox controls	What it typically means in user terms	Why the label matters
Communication	Call Assist	AI support around call-related experiences	It appears as its own policy-controlled operation rather than a generic “assistant” toggle.
Communication	Interpreter	Live two-way interpretation	It is treated as a distinct operation that can be blocked independently.
Productivity	Writing Assist	Drafting and text transformation tools	It is explicit enough to be governed as a separate unit.
Productivity	Note Assist	Summaries and structure inside note workflows	It is separated from transcription, implying different processing paths and risks.
Productivity	Transcript Assist	Speech-to-text and organization	It is a stand-alone operation, which is relevant for compliance and data retention planning.
Productivity	Browsing Assist	Assistance in browsing contexts	It is listed separately, which helps enterprises set “no browsing AI” policies.
Creation	Photo Assist	Editing and enhancement of images	It is a governable operation rather than a vague marketing bucket.
Creation	Drawing Assist	AI-aided drawing and generation tools	It is separated from photo editing, implying different intents and policy needs.

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Availability depends on One UI version, device class, and sometimes market constraints.

Samsung’s support guidance makes One UI the gate, because One UI 6.1 is explicitly required for Galaxy AI features in Samsung’s help-center guidance.

Samsung’s One UI 7 support language reinforces a second reality: even when a device receives the update, AI features may still be limited or not supported, especially across some Galaxy A models and certain tablets.

This means compatibility is not only a model list problem, but a “feature capability by class” problem that depends on hardware and rollout choices.

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What Samsung explicitly flags as constraints on Galaxy AI availability

Constraint	Samsung’s wording signal	Practical implication for readers
One UI baseline	One UI 6.1 is required to use Galaxy AI features	A “supported device” may need an update before features appear.
Device list boundaries	Galaxy AI is not supported on models not listed in the compatibility section	You should verify support via Samsung’s own compatibility section, not third-party lists.
Device class limits	AI features may be limited or not supported on some devices receiving One UI 7	Midrange adoption does not imply flagship-equivalent AI capability.

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Privacy and processing controls exist, but they are framed as feature choices with tradeoffs.

Samsung Knox documentation states directly that Galaxy AI features are processed on-device and in the cloud, which is the clearest primary phrasing for the “hybrid” nature of the stack.

The same Knox documentation frames Knox Service Plugin as a way to restrict cloud-dependent features and disable Galaxy AI features to fit organizational policies.

That enterprise framing helps consumers too, because it clarifies that “on-device only” postures will realistically mean reduced capability whenever a feature is cloud-dependent by design.

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Control surfaces that matter most for privacy and governance

Control surface	Who uses it	What it controls	Why it changes real-world risk
Per-user compatibility and terms view	Individual users	Whether their device is eligible and which terms apply	It prevents assuming AI is identical across devices and regions.
Knox Service Plugin policy	IT administrators	Restrict cloud-dependent features or disable Galaxy AI	It enables centrally enforced privacy posture rather than ad hoc user toggles.
Knox feature-level disablement	IT administrators	Disable specific Galaxy AI features rather than all-or-nothing	It supports allowing low-risk productivity features while blocking higher-risk ones.

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Enterprises now have finer-grained Galaxy AI controls than early Galaxy AI rollouts implied.

Knox Platform for Enterprise 3.11 release notes state that administrators can disable specific Galaxy AI features on Knox Service Plugin, which is a material governance upgrade.

Knox’s managed configuration documentation lists both “block all Galaxy AI” and “block individual Galaxy AI operations,” and it enumerates operations like Writing Assist, Interpreter, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Browsing Assist, Photo Assist, and Drawing Assist.

That granularity is the difference between banning AI entirely and permitting narrow productivity use while blocking content-generation or browsing-related AI where policy requires stricter controls.

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What “granular Galaxy AI governance” looks like in Knox

Governance posture	What Knox 3.11+ enables	What it is designed to solve
Full disablement	Block all Galaxy AI features	“No AI on managed devices” compliance stance.
Selective allow-listing by operation	Block individual Galaxy AI operations while leaving others available	Mixed-risk environments where writing help is allowed but browsing AI is not.
Cloud-minimizing policy	Restrict cloud-dependent features	Organizations that allow AI only when processing is constrained by policy.

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Pricing and access terms have shifted from a single “free window” to a tiered structure.

Samsung’s current US help-center language says that Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free, while Samsung enhanced AI features and all third-party AI features are subject to different terms and may be subject to fees.

Samsung’s February 2026 Unpacked invitation repeats the same structural distinction in official footnotes, reinforcing that this is not a random support-page phrasing.

This tiering matters for planning because it allows Samsung to keep a free baseline while monetizing higher-cost capabilities or partner-driven features that carry separate licensing economics.

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How Samsung’s current wording should be interpreted for cost planning

Category in Samsung wording	What it implies	What you should not assume
Galaxy AI basic features	A baseline set that Samsung states is free	That every Galaxy AI-labeled capability is included in “basic.”
Samsung enhanced AI features	Samsung-run additions governed by different terms and possible fees	That “Samsung-made” automatically means “included for free.”
Third-party AI features	Partner-provided AI governed by different terms and possible fees	That partner AI inherits Samsung’s baseline pricing rules.

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The Galaxy S25 series is the current flagship baseline for Samsung’s “AI phone” positioning.

Samsung’s official product pages position the Galaxy S25 series as featuring “new Galaxy AI features” and present that AI layer as central to the experience, not optional decoration.

Samsung’s US Newsroom announcement for Galaxy S25 also frames the series as an AI-integrated OS experience with “true AI companion” language, which is still marketing phrasing but useful context for how Samsung defines the flagship story.

For readers, the practical takeaway is that S25 is the stable “today” reference point for Samsung’s newest Galaxy AI messaging and the most reliable place to see the current official UI placement of newly marketed features.

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Where the Galaxy S line sits right now in Samsung’s official narrative

Series	Status	What Samsung is emphasizing publicly
Galaxy S25 series	Current flagship line	Galaxy AI as the defining experience layer on flagship phones.
Next Galaxy S series	Announced upcoming launch	“The Next AI Phone” framing and “new Galaxy S series is coming.”

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What we can responsibly say about the next Galaxy S generation (often called “Galaxy S26”) today.

Samsung has officially announced a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, 2026 and stated that “the new Galaxy S series is coming,” built to make “Galaxy AI feel seamlessly integrated.”

Samsung does not use the “S26” name in the invitation text, so “Galaxy S26” should be treated as the widely expected naming used in coverage rather than an official product name until Samsung confirms it at launch.

As of today, the most defensible approach is to describe S26 as “the next Galaxy S series” and to discuss only Samsung-confirmed positioning, which is the continued elevation of Galaxy AI as the center of the S-series experience.

Some recent reporting claims Samsung advertising has teased an S26 “privacy display” concept, but that remains secondary reporting rather than a Samsung spec sheet or technical whitepaper, so it should be framed as reported rather than guaranteed.

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S26 coverage rules that keep the article accurate and publishable

Claim type	Allowed framing in a publishable report	Source standard
Event and launch intent	Samsung has announced Unpacked on Feb 25, 2026 and said the new Galaxy S series is coming	Samsung Newsroom invitation text.
Product naming	“Often called S26” or “widely expected to be called S26,” not “Samsung confirmed S26”	Must be attributed to external coverage, not presented as Samsung-confirmed.
Feature specifics	Use “reported” language unless Samsung publishes official specs	Secondary sources only until Samsung publishes primary documentation.
Galaxy AI direction	Galaxy AI is positioned as the core of the next S series narrative	Samsung invitation wording about seamless Galaxy AI integration.

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How to choose an AI posture on a Galaxy device without guessing.

If you want the fullest experience, you should assume a hybrid posture where some features can involve cloud processing, because Samsung’s enterprise documentation explicitly describes Galaxy AI as processed on-device and in the cloud.

If you want a stricter posture, you should prioritize devices and configurations where your organization can restrict cloud-dependent features, because Knox Service Plugin is designed specifically to enforce that kind of policy.

If you are buying midrange devices with the expectation of flagship AI parity, Samsung’s own One UI 7 support note should be treated as the governing warning, because it explicitly states that AI features may be limited or not supported.

If you need predictable governance, you should design your internal controls around Knox’s operation-level switches rather than relying on user discretion, because Knox 3.11+ supports granular enablement and disablement of Galaxy AI operations.

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Practical decision table for Galaxy AI configuration and procurement

Scenario	Best decision rule	Why it reduces risk
Personal device, convenience first	Treat Galaxy AI as a feature layer and evaluate feature-by-feature rather than brand-by-brand	You avoid overpaying or overtrusting “AI” as a single capability.
Personal device, privacy-first	Prefer models where on-device options are meaningful and keep usage limited to low-risk operations	Hybrid processing exists in the ecosystem, so minimization should be intentional.
Company fleet, regulated data	Use Knox to block all Galaxy AI or block individual operations based on policy	It provides enforceable governance rather than optional user behavior.
Budget device rollout	Assume some AI features may be limited or unsupported and validate before standardizing	Samsung’s own One UI 7 guidance warns about limitations.

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