Samsung delays launch of Bixby voice assistant on Galaxy S8

If you're buying a new Samsung Galaxy S8 at launch, be prepared for virtual assistant Bixby's features to be limited.

While key features of Bixby such as Vision, Home and Reminder will be available at the launch of the S8, its stand-out Voice function, which allows users to command the phone to perform tasks, will not be available until at least spring for consumers in the U.S. and UK.

Samsung, however, reveals that the most important differentiating factor for the digital assistant, Bixby Voice, will only arrive in the United States later in the spring.

Another independent analyst, Richard Windsor, who writes the Radio Free Mobile blog further commenting on Bixby told AFP that, "Bixby is trying to do things a little differently but careful assessment of what Samsung demonstrated shows a service that has very little intelligence at all".

The company's widely touted artificial intelligence tool Bixby - seen as a rival for Apple's Siri - won't be fully operational in time for the USA release of the Galaxy S8.

Samsung's Bixby voice assistant was first announced in March, ahead of the global debut of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Also, you'll be able to set reminders. Samsung has yet to confirm when this will be. This simply means that users will be able to use the Galaxy S8's camera to identify objects.

The phone will also ship with Reminders, a diary app. Bixby Home is simply a pane of various widgets related to Bixby.

The Galaxy S8 boasting of a virtual assistant that can't be usable through voice is indeed surprising.

The company had already explained that Samsung Bixby Voice will not be available worldwide at the time of launch.

This is big news from Samsung, as Bixby Voice control was a major focus of the GS8's announcement and Samsung hopes to make it an integral part of the user experience.

Bixby is expected to become more and more capable in the coming months and years as more and more apps feature voice activation.