The Promised AI Highlight of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Leaves Me Feeling Underwhelmed
Exploring the Galaxy S25's AI features, I've been intrigued by the Now Brief, Samsung's AI-driven tool for delivering personalized information. It pops up throughout the day with helpful tidbits like weather forecasts, calendar events, and news headlines. Over time, it plans to integrate data from apps like Samsung Health and others to provide even more information. However, after a week with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I'm still unsure of its true value.
Configuring the Now Brief
By default, the Now Brief is enabled on all Galaxy S25 models. You can access its settings by enabling Samsung's Personal data intelligence, which aggregates the data needed for the feature. Even if you turn off cloud access for Samsung's AI, you can still use the Now Brief as it's processed entirely on-device.
Now Brief is hard to miss on the Galaxy S25's interface, appearing on the lock screen and in the Now menu, as well as available as a widget. If you forget, its persistent presence serves as a gentle reminder to utilize the feature.
Now Brief sources data from various apps, such as Digital Wellbeing and the Samsung Gallery. For commuters, traffic updates are also provided, but the option to source from specific apps isn't easily accessible. I've occasionally seen Spotify playlist suggestions, although they don't seem personally tailored yet.
Not-So-Relevant Headlines
One of my primary concerns with the Now Brief were the headlines it displayed, some of which were far from relevant. On the day of the inauguration, Samsung News was overflowing with headlines not fitting my interests. I tried to curate the sources within the Samsung News app to more closely match my interests, but it didn't significantly impact the content I received.
You can't view the source of specific content in the Now Brief, which is unfortunate. I turned off the feature altogether, leaving an empty space at the bottom of the Now Brief. I'm hoping to fill that with Samsung Health metrics with the help of a new wearable. However, so far, the Now Brief appears to offer less value than Google's Circle to Search feature.
Enrichment Information
Samsung and Google both offer advanced search capabilities in their respective AI features. Samsung's Now Brief integrates with a range of apps, such as calendars, weather, and basic health stats, to provide a personalized briefing. Google's Circle to Search, on the other hand, offers more direct user control by allowing users to initiate searches visually and promote more targeted advertising based on user interests. Circle to Search's relevance is generally higher due to its direct search capabilities. Now Brief, while useful, may not meet the expectations of users with complex or varied schedules.
The advancement in technology promises an even more personalized experience in the future with features like the Now Brief, as Samsung plans to integrate data from various apps like Samsung Health. Understanding the value of tech in shaping our future, I've experimented with the Now Brief's settings, trying to tailor its content to my interests.
Despite Samsung's efforts to provide relevant headlines, I often find myself dealing with not-so-relevant information, leading me to contemplate the potential of other tech solutions offering better customization, such as Google's Circle to Search.
