Samsung AI subscription plan to launch next month; Galaxy S26 Ultra display upgrades tipped | Tech Tips

While we wait for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series to debut at the Galaxy Unpacked event on January 22nd, reports are coming out about a new Samsung’s new AI subscription plan for its Galaxy devices.The subscription is said to be available in the US and South Korea.

Another report reveals the display tech upgrades for the 2026 S-series Ultra flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra even before the Galaxy S25 series debuts. Here’s everything you need to know.

Samsung AI subscription

• According to a report from ETNews, Samsung’s executive Han Jong-hee at a press conference during CES 2025 mentioned that the new ‘AI Subscription’ plan for the Galaxy devices will be introduced “next month” i.e. February, which is when the new Galaxy S25 series is expected to hit the stores.
• It is said that the subscription model is not for the AI features but for hardware. “We will apply the subscription service to Galaxy smartphones from next month,” the quote (translated) from the report reads.

• The subscription model is said to combine the existing instalment plan and after-sale service (maintenance) on Galaxy devices, including phones and possibly tablets.
• Furthermore, the report also mentions Samsung’s AI companion robot, Ballie, which is said to hit the market in the first half of the year with more AI features. The AI robot is also said to be offered as a subscription model in Korea.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra display tech

• According to the latest report Korean publication The Elec, Samsung is said to be planning to upgrade the display on the next Galaxy Ultra model, presumably the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
• The report notes that the South Korean giant is planning to apply ‘Colour-filter-on-thin-film-encapsulation’ (CoE) technology to the 2026 Ultra flagship.
• CoE is said to replace the polarising plates in OLED screens with a colour filter and change the general Pixel Define Layer (PDL) to a black one.
• Samsung is said to be using the CoE tech on its foldables from Galaxy Z Fold 3 to the latest Galaxy Z Fold 6.
• For context, while the polariser layer in an OLED eliminates reflections and improves visibility, it adds thickness and blocks some of the emitted light, thereby reducing the perceived brightness or forcing the use of more power to reach the same brightness level.
• When the polariser layer is removed the display panel will become thinner and the light transmittance increase, which can help decrease power consumption. The use of a colour filter will increase colour reproduction. 
• The Pixel Define Layer (PDL) will prevent light from reflecting inside the panel. The colour filter is printed on a Thin-Film Encapsulation (TFE), which is said to protect from Oxygen and Moisture. 
• Using this on the S-series Ultra flagship could potentially make it thinner without compromising the display. Slim phones might soon become a thing again, with Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim and the rumoured iPhone 17 Slim/Air reportedly in the works.

The post Samsung AI subscription plan to launch next month; Galaxy S26 Ultra display upgrades tipped first appeared on 91mobiles.com.