Samsung has pulled the curtains off its highly-anticipated Galaxy S24 series at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event held in San Jose, California. The Korean electronics major introduced three new models: the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24. And while the cinematic smartphone announcements were brilliant, the highlight was ‘Galaxy AI’, Samsung’s AI ecosystem for its smartphone line-up, powered by Google’s generative AI model, Gemini.
“The Galaxy S24 series transforms our connection with the world and ignites the next decade of mobile innovation,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Galaxy AI is built on our innovation heritage and deep understanding of how people use their phones. We’re excited to see how our users around the world empower their everyday lives with Galaxy AI to open up new possibilities.” Samsung noted that Galaxy AI supports 13 languages, and all the processing will be done on the device itself.
During the launch, the company showcased a range of AI-powered functionalities set to redefine user experiences. From advanced photo editing tools to real-time translations during calls (Live Translate), the Galaxy S24 series is designed to include the Galaxy AI — an AI ecosystem built over Google’s Gemini LLM, offering users a taste of the future of AI integration in smartphones.
Among other features, Samsung brings Chat Assist to add a new layer to your messaging experience. Users can use the feature to recast their messages into a variety of different styles, like Professional, and Casual, amongst others. Samsung offered a glimpse of the same in its livestream – one user types a message in English into the input field, which is quickly translated into Spanish.
The S24 series also brings the ability to present live conversations on a split-screen view, so that users standing opposite each other can read a text transcription of what the other person has said. Users will also be able to use Galaxy AI to easily and quickly summarize their notes, while Galaxy AI will be able to discern voices as well. Furthermore, Note Assist has come to the Galaxy S24 series, wherein the feature enhances organizational capabilities with AI-generated summaries, the creation of templates for streamlined note-taking using pre-made formats, and the generation of covers for quick identification with a concise preview.
The flagship model, Galaxy S24 Ultra, stands out with its robust specifications. Featuring a 6.8-inch flat QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, this model boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, and a massive 512GB of onboard storage. The highlight is the camera setup, including a 50MP telephoto camera, a staggering 200MP primary sensor, a 10MP Telephoto Camera, a 12MP Front Camera, as well as a 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera. It also runs the Android 14
The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus cater to a broader audience with their varied specifications. Both models, powered by either Qualcomm Snapdragon or Exynos processors, offer 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage. The camera setup includes a 50MP main sensor, a telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide-angle sensor. The S24 will cost $799.99, while the S24 Plus and S24 Ultra will cost $999.99 and $1,299.99 respectively.
Users can expect up to seven years of software updates, comprising major OS updates and security patches. This extended support aims to enhance the longevity of these smartphones, a move in alignment with Google’s strategy. An exciting feature set to debut with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is “Circle to Search,” powered by Google. This feature allows users to search images, videos, or text displayed on the smartphone by circling, highlighting, or tapping on the subject, eliminating the need to capture a screenshot. Samsung Gallery is expected to unveil an AI-powered Magic Editor for photo enhancement, while the Samsung keyboard may integrate AI for conversational tones and emoji suggestions.
