• At the core of Samsung’s AI strategy is the expansion of AI features across its product lineup and price points.

• The effort is to grow the installed base of Galaxy AI users quickly.

• By rolling out these capabilities across a diverse range of devices, Samsung is building an ecosystem that encourages long-term user loyalty.

Samsung recently launched the Galaxy S24 FE, Tab S10 Plus and Ultra tablets and Galaxy Watch FE LTE at an event, ‘Galaxy AI for All’, held its flagship retail location in New York – a fitting venue to drive home the company’s ambitious strategy of democratizing AI by bringing it to as many devices and price points as possible, while creating a seamless, interconnected ecosystem. The Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Watch FE LTE are available in the US at AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless for $649.99 and $249.99 respectively, while the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and Ultra are available for $999.99 and $1,199.99 respectively.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE color line-up.
Image source: Counterpoint Research

AI for everyone: Expanding beyond premium devices

At the core of Samsung’s strategy is the expansion of AI features across its product lineup. Since the beginning of the year, Samsung has increased the reach of Galaxy AI beyond the flagship S24 series and Z series foldables to include A-series devices and previous generations of the S series. The effort is to grow the installed base of Galaxy AI users quickly, educate them and create as many ecosystem touchpoints for end users as possible to tie them to the Samsung ecosystem. The Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Watch FE LTE are the latest examples of this strategy at play.

With this strategy, Samsung avoids having to wait for its user base to upgrade to new devices to engage with Galaxy AI. It can use regular software updates and feature rollouts as continued after-sales engagement opportunities. Once users experience the benefits of AI-powered productivity, communication and wellness features on more affordable devices, they are more likely to look for more of them in the future.

Moreover, the strategy of delivering AI across price points differentiates Samsung from its competitors, especially in Western markets. By emphasizing the accessibility of Galaxy AI, Samsung positions itself as a leader in AI democratization, tying into its sustainability efforts and longer periods of software support for handsets.

Galaxy Watch FE LTE: Targeted AI for a specific audience

The Galaxy Watch FE LTE is an excellent example of how Samsung is tailoring its GenAI strategy for different devices. While smartphones like the Galaxy S24 FE feature a wide range of AI tools, from live translation to advanced photo editing, the Watch FE focuses on AI-driven wellness and health tracking which can produce much more personalized and finetuned results for sleep and energy tracking, along with better coaching suggestions.

This selective approach to AI implementation is critical to highlight to end users that advanced AI features can be supported on many devices and with targeted purposes. By doing this, Samsung can optimize performance, enhance user experience, and create a better value proposition.

From an aesthetic perspective, the watches fit into the design language of recent Samsung watch launches, are sleek and provide a host of personalization options. The screen is large enough to showcase more detailed health information comfortably.

The addition of LTE connectivity brings a new element of usability to smartwatches in the mid-price segment, not necessarily tied to AI features but to bridging the feature gap with more expensive smartwatches to enable the extension of key smartphone use cases – taking phone calls, listening to music, responding to messages and accessing small bites of information.

Tab S10 series: A win for MediaTek

This launch also highlights shifts in Samsung’s processor strategy. The S24 FE is powered by the Exynos 2400e. While regions outside of North America have regular exposure to Samsung’s in-house chips, US users have had limited opportunity to interact with Exynos.

Besides, the introduction of the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and Ultra marks a flagship chip shift as well. These tablets are powered by MediaTek’s latest flagship chip Dimensity 9300+. MediaTek has been looking to grow its flagship presence in North America, where Qualcomm has long dominated.

Samsung’s choice to include MediaTek’s top-tier chip in a high-profile launch is a clear signal that the chipset maker is now considered a viable option for flagship-level devices.

The new tablets feature the same suite of Galaxy AI experiences found in the Galaxy S and Z series smartphones. However, the larger screens (Plus: 12.4-inch AMOLED; Ultra: 14.6-inch non-glare AMOLED) will allow GenAI features like sketch-to-image to shine and be a regular creative tool for many. Bringing these features to larger screens will also force Samsung to continue to develop these features to create experiences utilizing the full real estate available on tablets. Such developments will be critical for Samsung and its partners to display the ubiquitous utility GenAI can provide across device form factors.

Road ahead for Samsung and its competitors

Samsung’s event showcased how the company is leaning heavily into AI as a central part of its product strategy. By rolling out these capabilities across a diverse range of devices and price points, Samsung is building an ecosystem that encourages long-term user loyalty.

As AI becomes more integral to user experiences, Samsung’s approach of targeting AI features for specific devices while making them accessible to more users is likely to be emulated by other OEMs and it will be up to Samsung to continue the development path it set itself on in early 2024. For now, Samsung seems well-positioned to lead the charge in AI-driven consumer tech, but Apple and other Android OEMs are not sitting still.