- Samsung just dropped a teaser video for Galaxy Unpacked, hinting at a big Bixby comeback.
- Samsung is launching a next-gen Bixby powered by large language models (LLMs), a version of which has already launched in China.
- The new Bixby will be able to understand complex commands, remember context, and even generate presentations.
While Bixby was present on the Galaxy S24, it wasn’t the launch’s focus and didn’t receive any major updates. Samsung heavily emphasized its integration with Google’s Gemini AI at the S24 launch, which might have made it seem like Bixby was taking a backseat or even being phased out.
Samsung’s about to bring it back in a big way. They’ve just dropped a teaser for their upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event with the launch of Galaxy, and it looks like Bixby is getting a major AI upgrade. Samsung is taking Bixby to the next level by powering it with large language models, and it sounds like Bixby’s about to become a whole lot more helpful.
The Next-Gen Bixby: Features and Capabilities
Imagine being able to talk to your phone like you would to a friend, asking complex questions and getting helpful, relevant responses. That’s the kind of experience Samsung is aiming for with this new version. Forget about having to use specific keywords or phrases as Bixby will be able to understand natural language, making interactions feel much more intuitive.
One of the key improvements is Bixby’s ability to understand context. It will be able to remember previous parts of your conversation, so you won’t have to repeat yourself. This means you can have more natural back-and-forth interactions, making Bixby a much more useful and engaging assistant. Plus, it can now understand what’s happening on your screen, so you can ask it questions about the content you’re viewing.
The new Bixby will also be able to pull information from the web to answer your questions and even generate content. You’ll be able to create a quick presentation or draft a document with the new Bixby. The version launched in China with the W25 series is a great example. It offers features like suggesting outfits based on weather conditions and providing directions based on messages with the new Bixby.
In short, these are Bixby’s primary features we expect to be launched in the Galaxy Unpacked event:
- Natural Language Understanding: Talk to Bixby conversationally, without needing specific keywords.
- Contextual Awareness: Bixby will remember past interactions for more natural conversations.
- On-Screen Understanding: Bixby will understand and respond to what’s displayed on your screen.
- Web Information Retrieval: Bixby will pull information from the internet to answer your questions.
- Content Generation: Bixby will assist with creating presentations, documents, and other content.
- Smart Suggestions: Bixby will provide helpful suggestions, such as outfit recommendations based on weather or directions based on messages.
Where Will We See the New Bixby?
While the new Bixby has already made its debut in China with the Samsung W25 series, the rest of the world is eagerly awaiting its arrival. The most likely launchpad for the global release is Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on January 22nd. The Galaxy S25 series is expected to take center stage though. The S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra will probably come equipped with the LLM-powered Bixby right out of the box.
But what about people with older Samsung phones? The good news is that Samsung might bring this updated Bixby to a range of existing devices through software updates. It should likely roll out with One UI 7. This means that even if you don’t immediately upgrade to the latest Galaxy S25, you’ll still have a chance to experience the smarter Bixby in the future. Keep an eye out for announcements from Samsung regarding One UI 7 updates for your specific device.
Let’s see how this new Bixby performs alongside other LLM models such as Gemini and ChatGPT. As Apple is also expected to integrate LLMs into Siri, the future of AI assistants will depend on how well each platform can compete.
