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Galaxy AI Heading to 2022-Era Samsung Phones and Tablets

Circle to Search, Live Translate, and more are coming to the Galaxy S22 line, Z Fold 4, and the Tab S8 series thanks to a free update.

(Credit: Molly Flores/PCMag)

AI is all the rage in phones these days. Samsung's suite of Galaxy AI tools debuted on the Galaxy S24 line and has since been trickling down to older devices like the Galaxy S23. Now, it's rolling out to even older US devices running One UI 6.1, Samsung's software layer that runs atop Android.

This time the Samsung Galaxy S22 line, Z Flip 4, Z Fold 4, and the Galaxy Tab S8 series will gain Galaxy AI features via a software update.

Circle to Search with Google is the flashiest feature coming to the phones and tablets; it allows you to circle or tap something on the screen for a quick Google search. It's essentially a streamlined version of Google Lens, and in our experience, it's legitimately helpful.

Circle to Search in action
(Credit: Samsung/PCMag)

Also coming to these 2022 devices is Chat Assist, which offers reply suggestions in conversations; and Live Translate in the Phone app, which provides real-time translations of both the caller and the other party on the line.

Photo editing gets easier with Generative Edit, which makes it simple to move or remove objects in an image. Galaxy AI can also summarize websites with the Browser Assist feature in the Samsung Internet app as well as help organize your written thoughts with Notes Assist (in the Notes app).

Owners of even older Samsung devices also have an upgrade coming up. A limited selection of Galaxy AI features are headed to the Galaxy S21 series, Z Flip 3, and Z Fold 3. Those devices will gain Circle to Search and Chat Assist, but not the other tools mentioned above.

The fine print on Samsung's announcement notes that "Galaxy AI features by Samsung will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices." It's still up in the air what happens after that.

To get a better idea of how well Galaxy AI works, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review and some of the most promising uses for the AI tech.

About Iyaz Akhtar