Samsung Is Bringing This Flagship AI Shortcut To Its Midrange Line

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Summary

Samsung’s One UI 7 update is rolling out to all eligible S-series flagships in Korea, with a wider release expected soon, while development of Android 16-based One UI 8 is underway with a potential July debut alongside new foldable phones.
Before One UI 8, select Galaxy A series phones (including A56, A55, A54, A36, A35, A34, A26, A25, A25e, and A24) will receive a software update in early May, bringing One UI 7 and the ability to launch Gemini via the side button.
This same update will also introduce Samsung’s “Awesome Intelligence” AI tools (like Object Eraser and Circle to Search) to the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G, marking a significant expansion of convenient AI features to Samsung’s midrange devices.

Samsung has been on a roll lately. The South Korean tech giant’s One UI 7 rollout has reached all eligible S-series flagships, at least in Korea, with other regions to shortly follow suit.

Development of its Android 16-based One UI 8 also seems to be well under way, with the month of July and the release of the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip 7 being thrown around as the potential time when we might be able to get our hands on the next major update.

A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 displaying an AI drawing on the screen

Still, One UI 8 is still a few months away. Before then, we can expect Samsung to roll out a dedicated software update for select A-series devices — an update that would bring a seamless S-series AI shortcut to the tech giant’s midrange devices.

Announced in a new blog post today, Samsung wants Galaxy A-series users to be able to pull up Gemini simply by pressing and holding the side button.

Get ready for a smarter A-series

Source: Samsung

The update, which, according to the footnotes on Samsung’s blog post, will be available on Galaxy A56 5G, A55 5G, A54 5G, A36 5G, A35 5G, A34 5G, A26 5G, A25 5G, A25e 5G and A24, will likely bring said devices to One UI 7 sometime in “early May.” Users would then be able to head to Settings → Advanced features → Side button to set Gemini as the desired destination for the shortcut.

Elsewhere, the same update will also bring Samsung’s suite of ‘Awesome Intelligence’ tools (just a fancier name for tools like Oject Eraser, Circle to Search, Best Face, and more grouped together) to the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G.

“Samsung and Google have been working together to deliver seamless, intuitive and meaningful AI experiences, making the latest technology more accessible for more users,” said Jay Kim, executive vice president, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung, without mentioning the fact that Google has been paying Samsung an “enormous sum of money” on a monthly basis to pre-install Gemini on its phones.

Regardless, this is a major win for owners of Samsung’s midrange Galaxy line, who should soon be able to conveniently and rapidly access Gemini’s powerful AI capabilities with the simple press of their phone’s side button — literally bringing AI to their fingertips.