Samsung is preparing a new wave of Galaxy AI tools with One UI 8.5
Samsung is set to enhance its Galaxy AI ecosystem with a series of new artificial intelligence features. According to a leak reported by Android Police, at least five new Galaxy AI tools are in development and will be part of One UI 8.5, the upcoming major software update based on Android 16.
This deployment confirms the Korean giant’s aggressive strategy to compete with Apple and Google by integrating deeper AI capabilities into the everyday experience of its smartphones.
One UI 8.5: Five Major New Features Powered by AI
Among the unveiled features, several stand out for their practical usage potential:
Meeting Assistant
A meeting assistant capable of transcribing and summarizing audio or video exchanges in real-time. The goal: to facilitate the follow-up of professional meetings or classes without the need for manual note-taking.
Smart Clipboard
A smart clipboard that automatically recognizes copied content—whether text, image, or link—and categorizes it for smoother pasting in any application.
Touch Assistant
A still mysterious tool that could introduce contextual gestures or enhanced touch controls to optimize navigation on larger screens.
AI Emoji
A fun feature that allows users to create their own emojis from simple text descriptions. This adds an additional touch of creativity reminiscent of the AI-generated avatars already tested on some competing platforms.
AI Wallpaper Generator
A custom wallpaper generation tool, based on short text prompts. Users can create a unique wallpaper inspired by generative technologies like Midjourney or DALL·E.
Features Initially Tailored for China
According to Android Police, Samsung is initially testing these new features in the Chinese market, where competition from players like Huawei and Xiaomi pushes the brand to innovate more rapidly. A global rollout may follow soon, particularly for premium models, as Samsung aims to unify its Galaxy AI offerings across all markets.
These additions would complement existing features such as live translation, smart photo editing, or text summarization tools already integrated into the recent Galaxy S25 models.
Anticipated Launch with Galaxy S26
According to leaks, One UI 8.5 is expected to be unveiled alongside the Galaxy S26, anticipated for early 2026. This synchronization would allow Samsung to leverage the new Snapdragon and Exynos processors optimized for AI, while ensuring a swift update for Galaxy S25 and existing foldable models.
Rumors from SamMobile also suggest enriched notifications similar to iOS that automatically summarize important messages or alerts.
In short: Samsung aims to make AI a tool for productivity and creativity.
Challenges and Stakes: Balancing Privacy and Local Power
One of the major challenges will be data protection. Tools like Meeting Assistant must ensure that transcriptions and summaries remain stored and processed locally, without mass transfers to the cloud. Furthermore, these features will require significant computational power on-device, pushing Samsung to optimize its chips for local AI processing in a domain where Apple and Google are already heavily investing.
With One UI 8.5, Samsung confirms a clear direction: to make AI useful in daily life, whether for work, communication, or personalizing one’s smartphone.
The company is moving away from gimmicks to provide an integrated, practical, and universal AI. This approach should strengthen loyalty to the Galaxy range while repositioning Samsung as a pioneer in mobile artificial intelligence, on par with its American competitors.
If these innovations deliver on their promises, the Galaxy S26 could become the first smartphone to offer a truly comprehensive and cohesive AI experience.
