Samsung unveils world's first AI-powered smartphone
Roh Tae-moon, president and head of the mobile experience business at Samsung Electronics, introduces the Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone during the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics unveiled the world’s first AI-powered smartphone, the Galaxy S24 series, aiming to revolutionize the way people interact with the world through the emerging technology, the Korean tech giant said, Wednesday (local time).
"The Galaxy S24 series will usher in a new era of mobile AI phones beyond the smartphone era," Roh Tae-moon, president and head of the mobile experience business at Samsung Electronics, said during the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
"Galaxy AI will support users in changing the way they experience the world and unleash their infinite potential," he said.
The Galaxy S24 series comes in three variations — the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 6.8-inch screen and an S Pen stylus, the Galaxy S24 Plus with a 6.7-inch screen, and the Galaxy S24 with a 6.2-inch screen.
Based on Samsung's proprietary Galaxy AI technology, the Galaxy S24 series provides new user experiences in calling, messaging, camera and work efficiency, Samsung said.
It said Live Translate, the most anticipated feature which allows users speaking different languages to converse with real-time call interpretation via Galaxy AI, is available on the Galaxy S24 series.
As the feature uses on-device AI, there is no possibility of calls being exposed outside the phone, so users can use Live Translate without worrying about security breaches, Samsung said.
The company said a total of 13 languages will support the feature — Korean, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.
From left are Samsung Electronics’ new Galaxy phones – the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
The Galaxy S24 series has elevated the messaging experience with the introduction of Galaxy AI. It incorporates a real-time translation feature within major mobile messenger apps, enabling users to seamlessly access translation services directly through the built-in Samsung Keyboard app.
Regarding search functionality, Samsung partnered with Google to debut the Circle to Search feature on the S24 series, offering users a completely novel search experience.
"While surfing the web, engaging with social media, YouTube, and more, users can effortlessly and swiftly initiate a search and review the results by simply drawing a circle on any screen on the Galaxy S24. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple search apps," Samsung said.
Galaxy AI can also greatly increase productivity in work and study, the company said. Through the Note Assist feature installed in the S24 series, it summarizes and organizes the user's written content and converts it into formats like meeting minutes. If users record a meeting or lecture with a voice recording app, it separates the voice by presenter for up to 10 people and provides each with a script.
Galaxy AI has also significantly upgraded the camera function. The series features an AI-based ProVisual Engine that enhances camera features such as zoom and Nightography function, which is used to better shoot in low-light environment, the company said.
In addition, the AI technology provides a more efficient and easier photo editing environment as it automatically analyzes photos and suggests customized editing tools.
Samsung said its security solution, Samsung Knox, also provides stronger security and privacy suitable for the AI era.
The new Galaxy device will be released sequentially worldwide from Jan. 31. In the Korean market, Samsung will begin pre-sales on Friday.