Samsung wants your phone to be an indispensable digital assistant. So are we now entering an era where form factor, colour and materials are a secondary consideration to the capabilities of the software? Make no mistake, this trio of new S24 models (S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra) are as sleek and tactile as their predecessors and rivals; making a phone feel great in the hand is now second nature for manufacturers, even as they churn out hundreds of millions of handsets every year.
Samsung Galaxy S24 and AI
What sets the S24 apart is the deep integration of AI, from search to photography. We’ll have to wait until we get our hands on a device to explore its capabilities, but at the launch event, Samsung highlighted the ‘ProVisual Engine’ that it uses to shoot, edit and share images, with an enhanced ‘Space Zoom’ function that enhances as it zooms in.
Other promised advances include the ‘Live Translate’ function, with ‘two-way, real-time voice and text translation of phone calls’, an ultra-strong strong titanium frame, and the introduction of ‘Circle to Search’, which dovetails with Google’s services to provide a seamless visual search ability.
As before, the premium Galaxy range is divided into three, with the S24 Ultra leading the pack. Enhancements include a bundled stylus and a powerful quartet of rear cameras, including one with 200MP resolution. All three models can also record 8K video.
Crucially, all this AI ability is handled ‘on-device’, rather than being parcelled up and processed in the cloud. This will have a knock-on effect on battery life and data usage, predictably leading to another round of upgrade cycles amongst early adopters. Will it be enough for Samsung to regain the title of world’s largest phone manufacturer from Apple?
Galaxy S24 available soon from £799, pre-order at Samsung.com
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