Every One UI 8 Samsung Galaxy phone set for big free AI upgrade

Samsung’s rollout of One UI 8, its take on Android 16, to all compatible Galaxy phones is well underway, but it’s the next big update that could be even more significant. 

According to a report from Korean site ETNews, One UI 8.5 could include at least four new Galaxy AI features. 

However, you might be waiting a while. One UI 8.5 is rumoured to debut on the Galaxy S26 series phones in January or February 2026, before a wider rollout in the weeks and months that follow. 

If that’s the case, they’d be the first new Galaxy AI features in over a year. Here’s everything you can look forward to. 

Meeting Assistant

Ever been in a meeting with someone who’s speaking a language you don’t understand? I don’t mean ROIs and KPIs, though Galaxy AI could probably help you with that too – an actual foreign language. 

Meeting Assistant is designed for those scenarios. In theory, it can recognise what’s being said, accurately transcribe it and then translate it to your target language, all in real time. If it works as intended, this could be very useful in some meetings, but also the likes of press conferences and interviews, provided you connect headphones. 

Touch Assistant

Touch Assistant offers similar instant translation tools, but for the text you see on screen. Simply select a piece of text as if you were going to copy it, and you’ll be offered the option to translate it. 

ETNews suggests that Touch Assistant also “organizes it for easier reading”, though it’s not clear what this entails exactly. 

Smart Clipboard

The clipboard feature, accessible via the Samsung Keyboard, is a useful way to move text without being limited to the latest thing you’ve copied. 

Smart Clipboard aims to enhance this using AI, suggesting actions for any content that appears there. For example, you may want to summarise a long passage of text, translate something that’s not in your system language or add specific words or phrases to favourites. 

Social Composer

Enjoy posting to Instagram but hate having to come up with a witty caption? Social Composer is here to help. 

It can analyse images you’ve uploaded, recognising the people or objects within them, then write all sorts of text about them. This can include a caption, but also a more detailed description and even links to any products it recognises.

A big Galaxy AI leap for free?

It remains to be seen if all these features will arrive on One UI 8.5 and in the form described by ETNews.  

However, it has the potential to deliver a big upgrade to the Galaxy AI experience on your phone. Will it be able to compete with the Gemini-powered experience on Google Pixel phones? Time will tell.

And, while there’s no indication that Samsung will charge for these features, Galaxy AI might not remain free forever.

Looking for a new Samsung phone? Read our full guide to the best Samsung Galaxy handsets.