Samsung reportedly plans paid Galaxy AI tiers while basic tools stay free

What the leak shows

Samsung's paid Galaxy AI Premium subscription is still unofficial, but a detailed leak by SamMobile, reported by GSM Arena, has added structure to reports circulating this week. Samsung has talked about charging for some of its Galaxy AI tools for some time, and the change was expected in 2025, yet it did not arrive that year or in 2026. Several outlets now describe a paid tier built around new AI features and higher usage limits for existing ones. Samsung has not officially confirmed the details.

What stays free

Samsung has said before that the Galaxy AI features that come on a phone by default will always be available for free. TechRadar counts 19 such features, including Live Translate, Note Assist, Now Brief, Browsing Assist, Photo Assist and Suggested Replies. The leaked interface reportedly lists Browsing Assist, Now Brief, Creative Studio, Smart Capture, Samsung Keyboard, Photo Assist and Personal Agent as remaining free, although users would pay to lift their caps. GSM Arena reports that the current features would be grouped under a Galaxy AI Core label. TechRadar also notes that the added caps could degrade the experience for free users.

Credit tiers and usage limits

According to the leak, Samsung would sell three Galaxy AI plans measured in credits: Starter with 10,000 credits, Plus with 20,000 and Pro with 50,000. GSM Arena says it is unclear what one credit buys. Pay-as-you-go tokens would be valid for three years and kept separate from the subscription. Under the leaked free tier, users would get 10 translations, 5 summaries and 2 image generations per day. An Essential tier would multiply those allowances tenfold, while the Premium tier would offer unlimited access. ZDNet and TechRadar instead describe the top subscription as providing up to four times the free usage limits, so the reports disagree on the size of the increase.

Starter10,000

Plus20,000

Pro50,000

Starter

10000 credits

Plus

20000 credits

Pro

50000 credits

Data from the article text

Price and new features

Reports cite a monthly price of $4.99 and an annual price of $47.99, and ZDNet says the plan could go higher than that starting point. GSM Arena, which examined strings inside the app, puts the US monthly price at $5 and the 12-month plan at $48, which it describes as about $4 a month. Spider's Web, citing SammyGuru, estimates roughly 20 zloty a month or about 200 zloty for a year in Poland, if the service reaches the country in that form. The new features include Gen Video, which turns photos into video clips guided by text prompts, Bixby Action, an agentic feature that would create system routines, and Daily Briefing, which the leak places on the Plus tier. GSM Arena says a rumored Galaxy Claw could automate daily routines and overlap with Bixby Action.

Reception and timing

TechRadar reports that the news has drawn little enthusiasm, with Reddit commenters doubting that any of the AI features are worth paying for. Samsung has not announced a release date for the Galaxy S27 series, which ZDNet notes is typically preceded by a Galaxy Unpacked event in January or February. Spider's Web reports that One UI 9.5 will debut with the Galaxy S27 phones and could soon reach users in beta testing. TechRadar says the premium service might initially be limited to the S27 series.