On January 17, 2024, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S24 series, its latest flagship lineup brimming with sophisticated AI features designed to enhance user experience across various applications.
A Closer Look at Samsung's AI Innovations:
Samsung Notes App: Enhances efficiency by converting notes into bullet points and providing summaries.
Samsung Web Browser: Simplifies research by distilling and summarizing website content.
Voice Recorder App: Increases accessibility by offering full transcription of recordings and summarization, although it occasionally struggles with accent recognition.
Live Translate in the Phone App: Breaks language barriers by providing real-time audio and text translation in 13 languages during phone calls and text messages. It also includes a unique feature for adjusting the tone of written messages, ensuring privacy by processing translations directly on the device.
Gallery App: Employs AI to offer quick edit options like background blur, reflection removal, and color enhancement, among others.
Video Editing: Allows users to convert standard videos into slow-motion clips post-filming, supporting 4K 30 FPS and 4K 60 FPS, which is especially beneficial for content creators.
Roundtable with Samsung's Leadership on AI Advancements
This suite of AI tools mentioned above promises to significantly enhance the utility of the new S24 phones. In an exciting development, Samsung announced that these AI features would soon be available on the older Galaxy S23 series and Galaxy Z Fold series as well.
During a media roundtable following the Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, California, Samsung's EVP Sally Jeong, Head of Framework R&D Team, Mobile eXperience Business, conveyed this news in response to an inquiry from Editorji. Choi explained that the advanced AI features seen in the S24 Series are set to expand to other product formats, including foldable devices.
Samsung has long been at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation, evidenced by the establishment of the Samsung Research Artificial Intelligence Center and the launch of Bixby, its voice-enabled virtual assistant, both in 2017. Given Samsung's ongoing advancements in AI, particularly with the new features unveiled in the Galaxy S24 series, questions have naturally arisen regarding the future of Bixby amidst these developments.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra: A first look at design, cameras, specs, AI features
Addressing such queries, Sally Jeong provided clarity on Samsung's direction with AI. She emphasized that the latest generative AI technologies introduced by Samsung are designed to augment Bixby's functionality. The goal is to evolve Bixby into a more intelligent assistant, one that can understand and respond to user needs with greater accuracy and personalization.
The Galaxy S24 series also marks a leap in photo editing capabilities with its introduction of generative editing. This innovative feature not only suggests improvements for pictures but can even fill in scenes seamlessly when objects are removed, thereby enhancing the overall composition and aesthetic of photographs.
Addressing the ethical implications that come with the power of generative AI, such as concerns over deepfakes and copyright infringement, Sally Hyesoon Jeong emphasized Samsung's proactive measures. She pointed out that Samsung has introduced a watermark feature for photos edited with generative AI, ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of these advanced technologies.
It's a given that research and development (R&D) play a pivotal role in the adoption of new technologies like generative AI. When Sally Hyesoon Jeong was asked about the challenges Samsung encountered during the R&D phase of developing its new AI-enhanced smartphones, particularly with generative AI, she highlighted the engineering team's rapid learning curve.
She noted that the team adapted to generative AI more swiftly than anticipated, leading to a selection process that focused on incorporating the most useful and productive features into the AI phones after a series of successful trials.
Also, during the roundtable discussion, Joshua Cho, EVP & Head of Visual Solution team at Samsung's Mobile eXperience Business was asked about the company's strategy concerning the integration of AI in camera technology versus hardware upgrades. This question arose particularly in light of the observation that the camera hardware in the new S24 Ultra does not significantly surpass that of its predecessors.
Addressing this, Cho acknowledged the intrinsic link between hardware and software in the Galaxy S series' development roadmap. He highlighted the rapid advancements in AI technology as a pivotal factor shaping the future of smartphone photography.
Cho's remarks suggest a nuanced approach by Samsung, balancing between hardware innovation and the strategic incorporation of AI to redefine the photographic capabilities of smartphones. This strategy hints at a broader trend in the industry, where AI's role in enhancing and complementing traditional camera hardware is becoming increasingly significant.
He also mentioned that the Galaxy S24 series would serve as an invaluable asset for content creators, thanks to innovations like Samsung's AI-powered Instant Slow-mo feature. This technology allows for the transformation of standard video footage into slow-motion clips after the fact.
As someone deeply involved in videography, I initially had my doubts about the effectiveness and realism of this feature. Given that smartphones, including the Galaxy S24 series, already possess native slow-motion capabilities, the necessity of this feature was not immediately clear to me.
However, I've come to recognize its potential value. There are always moments during filming when slow motion could dramatically enhance the impact of a shot. With this feature, those moments can now be captured with ease.
Cho elaborated that the key to this functionality lies in generative AI's ability to intelligently interpolate between frames, enabling the creation of smooth slow-motion effects.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 series has been introduced in India with a starting price of Rs. 79,999.
