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Samsung Galaxy S25 could come with this great AI freebie for millions
More than Galaxy AI on board this year's Samsung flagships?
(Image credit: OnLeaks)
The Samsung Galaxy S25 already figures to come loaded with AI features when it debuts as soon as this month, with Samsung looking to build on the Galaxy AI tools it launched last year. But Samsung could turn to outside help to sweeten the AI pot in the form of free access to Google's Gemini Advanced AI models.
Specifically, Android Authority reports that an APK teardown found code in a Google app beta which suggest free trial subscriptions for the new Galaxy S25 models. That would allow people buying one of Samsung's new flagships to take advantage of the more advanced AI models available through Google's AI tool.
It's not unheard of for phones to include Gemini Advanced access. The Google Pixel 9 Pro models released last year include a year subscription to Gemini Advanced, for example.
Samsung may be taking a more staggered approach to Gemini Advanced access, at least based on the code snippets that have been discovered. Those snippets include different trial periods for Gemini Advanced, fueling speculation that different models will get free access for different lengths of time. Under this scenario, Android Authority reports, the Galaxy S25 would feature a three-month trial while the Galaxy S25 Plus would be eligible for six months of Gemini Advanced access. The Galaxy S25 Ultra would apparently feature a full year trial to the AI service.
AI has been a big focus for phone makers as of late, and Samsung has been one of the major players behind that effort. Last year's Galaxy S24 launch included the introduction of Galaxy AI tools aimed at image generation, writing features and other AI-powered features. Galaxy AI has subsequently rolled out to older Samsung flagships, while the mid-year launch of Samsung's latest foldables added to the array of Galaxy AI capabilities.
Galaxy AI figures to be a major part of the Galaxy S25 launch, too, with rumors pointing to the Bixby digital assistant gaining more AI powers. The inclusion of Gemini Advanced access would further add to the AI feature set available on Samsung's new phones. It would also be seen as a counterpunch to Apple's efforts with Apple Intelligence, which added ChatGPT integration with last month's iOS 18.2 update.
Samsung hasn't announced plans for a Galaxy S25 launch, though past flagship announcements have taken place in the early part of the year. The Galaxy S24 launch took place in January 2024, for example.
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To that end, rumors indicate that the Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event is set to take place on January 22. If so, you'd expect that Samsung will issue invitations to that event shortly. And that will bring us one step closer to finding out if Gemini Advanced will be a part of the Galaxy S25's feature set.
Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.
