So long, secrecy. Samsung appears to have accidentally let the cat out of the bag in terms of its highly anticipated artificial intelligence assistant. While we’ve long suspected that one of the Galaxy S8’s most talked-about features would be named Bixby, it wasn’t until January 9 that we had solid confirmation from the horse’s mouth.
As initially reported by Sammobile, Samsung confirmed a bit early on its website that it will not only have a standalone online payment platform named Samsung Pay Mini, but will also have Bixby help facilitate these payments.
The original image on the Samsung Pay Beta site has since been removed, but screenshots last forever.
While it’s unclear as of yet exactly how Bixby -the AI assistant, will integrate with Samsung Pay Mini, it seems reasonable to assume that it will allow you to make payments via your voice. And the “Mini” version of the payment platform may allow customers to make transactions via Samsung Pay, even if they’re not using a Samsung device. Whereas Samsung Pay has previously been available only on its own phones, the stripped-down version of the app just might be found on other handsets as well.
Of course, all this speculation only serves to build even more buzz around the Galaxy S8. Although Samsung has never officially confirmed that Bixby would actually make its debut on the new flagship phone, it seems safe to make such an assumption.
After all, the S8 will be the next flagship phone to come out of the company (after its extremely ill-fated predecessor, which had a penchant for explosions). So in order to make up for past mistakes, the new Galaxy will need something big — something like Bixby.
To stay up to date on the latest rumors and speculation around the S8, check out our roundup here.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.
Google Photos is introducing a new design for the Collections tab on Android, giving users more control over their albums, folders, and photo categories. The update is all about customization, allowing users to pin collections they access often, hide sections they use rarely, and rearrange the layout to make their photo libraries easier to navigate.
According to a 9To5Google report, the change comes after Google rolled out the redesigned floating navigation bar on Android earlier this year. Rather than inventing a brand new way to store photos, Google is making it easier to get to the content people want, without having to scroll through sections they rarely open.