Preview: Samsung Galaxy S24 series reveals AI-driven smartphone era

Samsung demonstrates the potential of AI in elevating smartphone experience with the Galaxy S24 series

While AI in smartphones isn’t groundbreaking, the recent advancements, particularly the unleashed power of Generative AI, provide a clearer understanding of its capabilities. Samsung’s latest Galaxy S24 series exemplifies how this newfound prowess can be seamlessly integrated into smartphones, offering enhanced functionality without overwhelming users or disrupting the device’s coherence. Here are our initial impressions after spending some time with these new devices.

Design and display

Regarding the design, Samsung maintains the appearance of the S24 and S24+, while the Ultra model now features a satin finish, adding a sense of luxury and opulence, along with an improved grip. The dimensions remain unchanged, although the Ultra has a singular slit at the bottom for the speaker, replacing the previous extra speaker grill—a minor design alteration. Despite the addition of vapor cooling, the phone’s weight remains unaffected.

Samsung has introduced a titanium frame for the Ultra, while retaining aluminum for the other two models. However, there’s a noticeable resemblance of the S24 and S24+ to iPhones, particularly with the darker color options.

The 6.8-inch Ultra boasts the brightest display in the Galaxy series, reaching 2600 nits. The QHD+ AMOLED screen is noticeably brighter than the previous year’s model. Additionally, it features Corning Gorilla Armor glass, providing reduced reflection and enhanced scratch resistance. The adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate is now extended to the 6.2-inch S24 and the 6.7-inch S24+ as well, although the former comes with a full HD display.

The AI features

The S24 series introduces AI features predominantly focusing on language, productivity, and camera functionalities. The use cases align with what Google has been presenting for several years, but Samsung executes most of these tasks on the device itself, eliminating the need for internet access.

The standout feature is the phone’s capability to facilitate multilingual conversations through the native call app. I attempted to book a taxi in Hindi while conversing with someone speaking Korean, and the translation was effective enough to accomplish the task. There is a brief delay at the beginning as the user on the other end, regardless of their phone, is informed about the use of AI for translation. If necessary, you can view a live text version of the conversation, though it won’t be visible if the phone is against your ears.

This translation proficiency extends to messaging as well, where Samsung keyboards allow you to respond in any of the 13 languages, with incoming text also translated into your preferred language. This on-device functionality works seamlessly. Furthermore, any notes on the phone can be similarly translated using the device’s AI capabilities, essentially eliminating the need for third-party translator apps for this user group.

Regarding productivity, the S24 series phones have the ability to format any notes you may have taken. Remarkably, they offer multiple formatting options based on seemingly random or awkward notes you may have scribbled. Additionally, the phones can transcribe conversations or meetings and possess the capability to summarize them into concise bullet points. This functionality is likely to diminish user reliance on third-party apps like Otter, which often come with a cost.

Another intriguing application is the “Circle to Search,” a feature where Samsung enhances the Google Lens concept to a whole new level. While browsing a website or encountering a photo on a social media platform, you can long-press the home button to activate this feature. You can then select any part of the image to discover more about it. This functionality extends to photos you’ve taken, allowing you to gather additional details about a subject, such as a shoe or a company logo. On the Ultra model, you can use the S-Pen to circle the subject or simply use your finger for the same.

This AI integration significantly impacts the camera app, particularly in suggesting potential editing changes. Notably, the app can now eliminate reflections, a common occurrence when capturing a night scene from an indoor setting. It can also intelligently remove shadows from a subject, as seen in a portrait, extending across the entire frame rather than just the subject. Currently, it can erase elements similarly to Google Pixel phones and even generate new slow-motion videos by adding extra frames where necessary.

Elevating AI utilization in the camera realm, the generative AI options take things a step further, requiring the phone to be connected online. With this feature, you can choose an object within a photo and reposition it, allowing the AI to seamlessly fill in the remaining space. It’s also capable of straightening frames and adjusting angles, as the AI intelligently patches any gaps. While the demonstrations were impressive, a firsthand experience is necessary to gauge the effectiveness of the entire frame in various scenarios.

Camera

Regarding the camera, the primary emphasis on the new Ultra model is the 5X optical lens. Essentially, the 10x optical zoom 10MP sensor combination from the S23 Ultra has been replaced with a 5x, 50MP combination in the latest version. Although 10x is still available, it is essentially a crop of what the new combo captures. Reportedly, Samsung has listened to customer feedback, recognizing that 3x and 5x were more commonly used than 10x, and has optimized the camera system accordingly. As an S23 Ultra user, I find merit in this approach. Now, you can pause anywhere between 1x to 10x and capture a highly detailed image. The clarity of images has also seen improvement in digital zoom, reaching up to 100x, thanks to AI. It is now proficient enough to scan a QR code at full zoom. Quite impressive.

The camera configuration for the S24 Ultra now includes a 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 200MP Wide Camera, 50MP Telephoto Camera with 5x Optical Zoom, 10MP Telephoto Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, and a 12MP Front Camera. The shift to a larger 1.4 μm pixel size is anticipated to yield improved results in low-light conditions, especially when utilizing the space zoom feature.

As for the S24 and S24+, their camera setups remain largely unchanged from the previous iteration, featuring a 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 50MP Wide Camera, and 10MP Telephoto Camera with 3X optical zoom, along with a 12MP Front Camera.

Processor and battery

The S24 Ultra will run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, specially optimized for Samsung, facilitating numerous AI functionalities on the device. Catering to gamers, the top-end model features a 1.9x larger vapor chamber to ensure efficient cooling during high-end gaming with ray-tracing. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, the S24+ with a 4900 mAh battery, and the smaller S24 with a 4000 mAh battery.

Although the S24 series doesn’t introduce significant hardware changes, Samsung has elevated the software to a new level with practical AI features that offer genuine value for users. These features are not mere gimmicks but prove useful for users across the entire series. Moreover, these AI capabilities provide a glimpse into the future of smartphones, suggesting a shift from a hardware-centric approach to a more substantial AI-driven direction in the years to come.