Samsung To Offer 'subscription' Service For Galaxy Phones, But It's Not What You Think

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

TL;DR

Samsung’s Han Jong-hee confirmed that the company’s “AI Subscription Club” will roll out to Galaxy phones and the Ballie AI robot next month.
The name AI Subscription Club is a bit misleading as it’s more of an installment plan for hardware with some after-sales services.
This payment model is currently available in South Korea, but could make its way to the US.

Before Galaxy AI rolled out, there were hints that it may not remain free forever. Samsung didn’t say much to alleviate these fears, only confirming it would remain free until the end of 2025, with plans beyond that being unconfirmed. With that said, the tech giant is rolling out its “AI Subscription Club” for Galaxy phones, but it’s not quite what you think.

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A report from ETNews states that Samsung’s vice chair Han Jong-hee confirmed in a press conference during CES 2025 that AI Subscription Club is coming to Galaxy devices. If you’ve never heard of this payment model, AI Subscription Club launched in South Korea last month for some of Samsung’s home appliances. The company is now readying to apply the model not only to Galaxy phones, but also to Ballie AI, the AI companion robot it plans to launch in the first half of this year.

“We will apply the subscription service to Galaxy smartphones starting next month,” Jong-hee says. “Ballie will be introduced first in Korea and the US, and we plan to supply it as a subscription in Korea.”

The name AI Subscription Club is a tad misleading. This isn’t a subscription plan for Galaxy AI, but more of a monthly installment plan for hardware with some after-sales maintenance services. So consumers could use AI Subscription Club to lower the upfront cost of a Galaxy phone.

It’s not mentioned if AI Subscription Club will expand outside of South Korea, but it could come to the US if Samsung thinks it is successful enough. The subscription will be applied to Galaxy phones starting in February, which won’t be far off from when the Galaxy S25 series launches. You can reserve a Galaxy S25 by heading over to the reservation site right now.

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