Samsung unveiled two foldable phones that also happen to be Galaxy AI phones. That is, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 feature a few extra genAI tricks on top of the Galaxy AI features that Samsung introduced earlier this year on the Galaxy S24 series.
In some ways, the foldables are great form factors for using AI on the go. For example, the Fold 6’s stylus support lets you draw sketches that the AI can turn into images. You can use your finger for the same purpose on the Flip 6, but it’s not quite the same. Then there’s the Interpreter live translation feature that takes advantage of the folded screen so everyone can see the conversation.
Any Samsung phone can be turned into a Galaxy AI device as long as the hardware supports it. Rather than just add Ai to the same old devices, however, Samsung is working on some “radically different” AI phones that might shake things up a bit.
We’re very early in the AI revolution. Maybe the Galaxy AI phone of the distant future has to look radically different from the rectangular device you currently carry in your pocket or purse. Samsung mobile chief TM Roh did not say what these new AI phones might look like or when they’ll launch.
But Roh teased the radically different design to Australian Financial Review (via GSM Arena). The report says that the “lion’s share” of Samsung’s mobile R&D is going to the AI phones of the future. Roh said these devices will be more “mobile.” Also, they might pack bigger screens and more sensors.
That sounds exciting and worrying at the same time. I’ll remind you that the first half of the year practically cemented the idea we don’t need AI-only devices. The Humane Ai Pin turned out to be a big, expensive flop. The Rabbit r1 was even worse than that. It was basically just an Android device running a single AI app, which failed to secure user data.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Galaxy AI, the multimodal GPT-4o-powered ChatGPT assistant, the new Google Gemini assistant, and Apple’s Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 proved what we were already suspecting. The rectangular phones in our pockets and purses are about to become AI phones with advanced features, assuming the hardware supports it.
I’d be wary of Samsung reinventing the phone for the AI space. Then again, there are ways to make AI phones more mobile and give them more sensors.
The most obvious thing I can think of for the future of AI and phones is the gadget that will complement and then replace the phone. I’m referring to AR glasses, which can turn your field of view into a massive display. AI features would then be available on that display, with an AI assistant powering the experience. Apple is heading in that direction, with the Vision Pro providing the first steps toward that future.
But that doesn’t mean Samsung is following the same route. Also, Samsung’s Vision Pro alternative is far from being ready for public release.
The other way of making a phone with an even bigger display than the Fold phones is to go for triple fold devices. Older rumors said that Samsung might deliver such a smartphone. When folded, it would look like a larger tablet. Such a form factor might benefit AI features that require larger displays. But that’s all speculation right now.
Maybe the better idea would be for Samsung to make better Galaxy S and Z phones. On that note, we already have rumors that Samsung wants a big redesign for the Galaxy S flagships. As for the foldables, Samsung wants thinner and lighter phones than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Those would be good ways to improve Galaxy AI phones rather than trying to reinvent the phone.
Speaking of Apple, Samsung will certainly pay attention to its biggest rival in terms of AI hardware. Apple isn’t about to stop making traditional iPhones that can rock Apple Intelligence powers anytime soon.
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