Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3 to Get Only Two Galaxy AI Features With One UI 6.1 Update

Eight out of 10 features available on the Samsung Galaxy S24 won't come to the Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 with the One UI 6.1 update.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 11 May 2024 16:45 IST

Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3 to Get Only Two Galaxy AI Features With One UI 6.1 Update

Samsung Galaxy S21 (right) and Galaxy S21+ were launched in India in 2021

Highlights

Samsung Galaxy S21 series will get two Galaxy AI features
The company is bringing Chat Assist, Circle to Search to the phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 will also get these features

Samsung Galaxy S21 series is set to receive the One UI 6.1 update, along with the company's Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable phones. However, unlike more recent models from the South Korean smartphone maker, these three handsets will only gain support for two new Galaxy AI features. One the past few months, Samsung has been rolling out One UI 6.1 to recent Galaxy Z and Galaxy S series phones, with support for up to 10 AI-powered features.

The company confirmed on Friday that Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 users will get access to two Galaxy AI features: Circle to Search and Chat Assist. The company's announcement also contains a footnote stating that it will provide Galaxy AI features "for free until the end of 2025" — the same message that was shown on the company's website when the Galaxy S24 series was launched earlier this year.

With the One UI 6.1 update, owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be able to use the Circle to Search feature that is currently exclusive to smartphones from Samsung and Google. Users can log press the navigation pill to summon an overlay that lets them draw around, scribble, or highlight a part of the screen to perform a visual lookup — without leaving the app they are using.

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Chat Assist, another AI feature that is designed to help users compose texts in different languages, via seamless translation of incoming or outgoing messages, is also coming to all three handsets. Samsung says the feature is also designed to work with third party apps, which means users won't have to open a translation app while messaging another user. Chat Assist is also designed to help users change the tone of their messages, according to the company.

Samsung's announcement that it will update the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 with these two features confirms that the company's other Galaxy AI functionality won't be making its way to these older handsets. AI features that won't be a part of the update include Interpreter, Live Translate, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Browsing Assist, Generative Edit, Edit Suggestion and AI-Generated Wallpaper.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Samsung Galaxy S21

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Compact
Good performance
Capable cameras

Bad
Polycarbonate back
Average battery life
No bundled charger

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S21 review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Samsung Exynos 2100

Front Camera 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 64-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4000mAh

OS Android 11

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Vibrant folding display
Very good build quality, easily pocketable
Top-tier performance
Water-resistant design

Bad
Main screen washes out under sunlight
Cover screen could be more functional
Weak battery life, slow charging
Low-light video could be better

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 review

Display (Primary) 6.70-inch

Processor octa-core

Front Camera 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 3300mAh

OS Android 11

Resolution 1080x2640 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Large, vibrant folding display
Intuitive software for multitasking
Top-tier performance
Great-sounding speakers
Water-resistant design

Bad
Average battery life
Cameras could do better in low light
Heavy, bulky when folded
Expensive

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review

Display (Primary) 7.60-inch

Processor octa-core

Front Camera 10-megapixel + 4-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 4400mAh

OS Android 11

Resolution 2208x1768 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy AI, One UI 6, Samsung AI features, AI, Artificial intelligence, Google, Circle to Search, Chat Assist, Samsung

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More