For years, Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant has felt like an afterthought, overshadowed by Apple’s Siri and Google’s ever-evolving Assistant. In a world of rapidly advancing AI, Bixby seemed to be stuck in the corner, lacking the innovation and features to compete. But that might be about to change.
During the launch event for the Galaxy W25 and W25 Flip in China, Samsung unveiled its “next-generation Bixby.” This new version promises a significant upgrade, packed with AI features that could finally put Bixby on a level playing field with the likes of Siri and Google’s upcoming Gemini AI.
The new Bixby is designed to be smarter and more intuitive. It will be much better at understanding complex questions, even those with multiple requests woven into a single sentence. Think of it as a more natural and powerful way to interact with your device.
But the improvements go beyond just understanding language. The new Bixby will also be able to analyze what’s happening on your phone or tablet screen and use that context to provide more relevant and helpful responses. For example, if you’re looking at a restaurant’s information or texting about it, you can simply tell Bixby to “navigate here” and it will seamlessly guide you to your destination.
Samsung is also adding some powerful tools to Bixby’s arsenal. The new version will include website translation capabilities and the ability to generate documents, slideshows, and spreadsheets based on your prompts. This opens up exciting possibilities for streamlining tasks and boosting productivity.
To match these new capabilities, Bixby is also getting a completely revamped user interface. The new UI takes over the entire screen, providing a fresh and modern look compared to the current Bixby experience. While it’s unclear if Samsung will adopt the glowing screen effect introduced with the latest Siri, it’s clear they’re aiming for a more visually appealing interface.
While all these upgrades sound incredibly promising, there’s a big caveat: Samsung has yet to announce a release date for the next-generation Bixby outside of China. It’s reasonable to assume that the new Bixby might arrive in the US alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in early 2025, but that’s just speculation. There’s also a chance that the new Bixby might not be ready for wider release until later in the year, possibly alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7.
Regardless of the timing, the new Bixby is eagerly anticipated. Samsung has been making significant strides in AI this year, with its Galaxy AI suite, and Bixby’s absence from this development was noticeable. Whether or not these upgrades are enough to truly challenge Siri and Gemini remains to be seen, but Samsung is definitely heading in the right direction. This is a major step forward for Bixby and could potentially change the landscape of voice assistant technology.
