Samsung addresses the 'burden' of AI, and why it won’t make small phones anymore

Samsung introduced Galaxy AI with the Galaxy S24 series, and every new Galaxy S release since then has introduced new features. These newer features have been slowly trickling down to older flagships, but everyone still seems to be struggling with their utility. Samsung recently held an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit, and the answers give us a glimpse of Samsung’s vision for Galaxy AI’s future, as well as more of the company’s thoughts on its recent flagships.

Samsung UK’s VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, Annika Bizon, held an AMA in the Samsung UK Reddit sub-forum over a week ago, but only recently started answering some of the interesting questions, as spotted by Android Police.

Reddit user paulbrock2 asked how the company is supporting customers who don’t want AI on their devices, and the company responded that they wanted to make their AI “as easy and effortless as possible.” Galaxy AI features have to be switched on in Galaxy AI settings during device setup, and users can also choose which AI features to keep on or disable. If users want to run a Samsung device without AI features, Samsung says that’s a completely valid way to use it and supports it.

When Reddit user CrispyPotatoToteBag said they couldn’t find a niche where AI is “anything but a burden,” Samsung’s advice for people struggling to navigate new ways to be more productive with AI is to “start with one feature and let it do something for you.”

Once AI earns your trust in one area, you start noticing where else it might actually help you rather than where it’s just there. Your phone should work for you, not the other way around.

For users who are understandably extremely wary of AI, Samsung notes that Galaxy AI features are entirely in the user’s control, as they can turn them on and off. The company believes the moment AI will truly succeed is when it becomes so functional that it becomes invisible.

We like to think it will be like the electricity that powers your home… something you depend on without even thinking about it. You just expect it and it will be genuinely useful to everything you do in your life. It should feel effortless but, most importantly, in your control.

Beyond Galaxy AI, Bizon also helped market the Galaxy S26 Ultra through her answers. When Reddit user remykill asked how they can be sold on the S26 Ultra over the S25 Ultra in three sentences, Bizon highlighted the improved ProVisual Engine, faster charging, and the new Privacy Display.

There are plenty more comments praising the Privacy Display, and while it’s genuinely a great feature, it comes with trade-offs, so be aware.

Interestingly, Reddit user cosinus_square asked why Samsung doesn’t make small phones anymore, and the company responded by saying that display size has been driven by what the majority of users want to do on their devices. Most users use their phones for practically everything, and so benefit from a larger display. For users who want a compact phone, Samsung is highlighting the Galaxy Z Flip range for its best-of-both-worlds approach.

Samsung is clearly betting big on the idea that AI will eventually earn our trust by becoming indispensable yet unnoticed. For now, the company is content to let users lead the way, whether that means embracing a more productive AI-driven workflow or turning the features off entirely and sticking to the traditional smartphone experience. We hope the company takes consumer data-backed actions in this space, rather than bulldozing ahead with AI features just because everyone is calling it the “future” and doing the same.