We are in San Jose for the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC24), where the company offered an overview of its software-related plans for the future.
Jong-Hee Han, Vice Chairman, CEO, and Head of the Samsung Device eXperience (DX) Division, talked about the company's strategy.
An even greater focus on AI experiences
Unsurprisingly, Samsung's current vision involves a lot of AI technologies and innovation. Samsung also highlighted the importance of developers and partners.
“We have continued our journey of innovation with our many developers and partners for the last ten years,” said Mr. Jong-Hee Han, Vice Chairman, CEO, and Head of the Samsung Device eXperience (DX) division.
Samsung intends to use AI technology to enhance security, advanced personalization, better family care experiences, and new B2B opportunities.
According to Jong-Hee Han, “Samsung Electronics will continue advancing AI technology to a level where AI automatically recognizes each user individually — from their voice to their location — to provide a more personalized experience.”
At the same time, Samsung says it is committed to improving our world through AI “As all employees uphold the global AI ethics principles of ‘Fairness,' ‘Transparency,' and ‘Accountability' for both developing and using AI.”
Bringing more devices under the One UI umbrella
In more palpable terms, Samsung says it will change its view on the entire software landscape and create a more unified experience.
Starting next year, its major product lines, ranging from mobile devices and TVs to home appliances, will be integrated into the same software experience under the One UI name.
As such, we can expect a more cohesive user experience across different devices, from our Galaxy phones to big screens and smart home appliances.
Implementing AI into more devices for seamless experiences
Samsung believes the new AI era will enhance productivity, creativity, and communication. AI will simplify users' daily life by enabling more cross-platform experiences.
That's where the AI for All strategy comes into play. Samsung already introduced more advanced AI to its TVs, mobile devices, and home appliances, and Samsung says even more AI enhancements are coming to Bixby, SmartThings, and One UI 7.
Samsung's Multi-Control tool is coming to Tizen-powered Smart Monitors and TVs. The Tizen platform is getting Tizen AI services, which will enable things like controlling echo and noise levels when watching TV.
To empower developers, Samsung will release a new SDK (Software Development Kit) for Tizen apps designed with RISC-V in 2026.
Improved smart home experiences and security
At SDC24, Samsung revealed that it will release a big update for its SmartThings platform later this month. The update consists of Home Insight, which is a new tool that analyzes user data, usage patterns, home stats, and device history.
This data will be used to improve the smart home experience through Tizen. Home Insight will recommend actions, such as powering off idle smart devices while the user is away at certain times of day.
Another major development revealed at SDC24 is that Samsung wants “all its products with screens” capable of running the SmartThings Hub.
Samsung partnered with smart key developers like Schlage and Agara. Both will bring the SmartThings Door Lock function to Samsung Wallet Digital Home Key in 2025.
Furthermore, Tizen TVs, AI Family Hub refrigerators, and home appliances with AI Home will get access to Passkey in 2025. The Passkey feature improves security and convenience and will support web browser-based logins through mobile QR code scanning.
Samsung also intends to expand its blockchain-based multi-device Knox Matrix solution to more devices like TVs and home appliances.
One UI 7.0 update making an appearance at SDC24
One of the most exciting things at SDC24 is One UI 7. Samsung says One UI 7.0 brings a new user experience focused on simple and “emotive design.” The three core design elements for One UI 7 are:
- Simple. Aiming for purposeful simplicity across the UI.
- Impactful. Creating a new signature impression for One UI.
- Emotive. Creating UI elements, like a new blur engine, that creates a positive emotional response from users.
Samsung also said that One UI 7.0 will seamlessly integrate Galaxy AI features into daily activities. As far as the release goes, Samsung says it will release a beta version of One UI 7.0 this year.
However, the public One UI 7.0 release will happen next year, Samsung says. This huge firmware update will likely debut with the Galaxy S25 series in early 2025.
