Few things in life are ever really free, and smartphone brands are eager to start monetizing those expensive AI investments that they hope are encouraging you to upgrade. If you thought premium phones are expensive now, you haven’t seen anything yet.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the crafty ways to squeeze extra cash from us are already here; Google has linked Gemini Advanced to its priciest Google One plan. Rumors abound that Apple is considering something similar (once Apple Intelligence is actually in a usable state). If some reports are to be believed, it might try to charge up to $20 per month for advanced AI tools. Likewise, Samsung plans to monetize Galaxy AI at the end of 2025, though it’s currently mulling over exactly what this will look like.