The Bixby AI assistant expected to be featured in the upcoming Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will allegedly support up to eight languages, according to a report published by ETNews on Tuesday. The South Korean outlet is claiming that Bixby will understand seven or eight languages, including English, Korean, and Chinese. If this report is accurate, Bixby will support three more languages at launch than Google Assistant currently does. At the moment, Google’s AI companion understands English, Brazilian, Portuguese, German, and Hindi, and some of these languages may also be supported by Bixby.
Previous reports suggested that Bixby will be integrated into all default Samsung Galaxy apps that will come pre-installed on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. The assistant will allegedly be able to use the camera of Samsung’s upcoming Android flagship to perform a visual search of its surroundings, identify particular objects, and find online retailers that are selling them. Samsung’s AI assistant is also rumored to feature Samsung Pay integration, meaning users will be able to tell it to make purchases. Bixby was likely developed by an AI startup Viv which Samsung acquired in October. Samsung’s recent financial report revealed that the South Korean tech giant is looking to differentiate its future high-end smartphones through both hardware and software, and an advanced AI assistant like Bixby seems like a reasonable way to accomplish the latter. Bixby is also expected to make its way to other Samsung devices in the future and if previous trademarks filed by the company are any indication, Samsung’s AI companion may even be integrated into TVs and Internet of Things (IoT) devices like smart speakers. Overall, most reports suggest that Samsung is looking to create an entire ecosystem around Bixby instead of just using it as a unique feature of the Galaxy S8.
More information concerning the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will likely follow soon seeing how Samsung is currently close to unveiling its upcoming flagship duo. Recent reports suggest that the largest phone maker in the world will officially announce both variants of the Galaxy S8 on March 29, while the devices should be hitting the shelves in mid-April.