Galaxy S24 Series represents Samsung’s ‘AI moment’

Samsung is looking to stimulate a 5G phone upgrade cycle with on-device artificial intelligence (AI) phones in the form of the Galaxy S24 Series, a range that analysts are saying will lead to its Galaxy AI system’s moment in the sun.

Based on premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, and offering 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E/7 and Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth connectivity, Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 devices are claimed to be able to unleash new mobile experiences through AI.

Galaxy AI is said to introduce “meaningful” intelligence aimed at enhancing every part of life, especially communication. A Live Translate feature allows two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls within the native app. No third-party apps are required, and on-device AI keeps conversations private. Live conversations can be instantly translated on a split-screen view so people standing opposite each other can read a text transcription of what the other person has said. It even works without cellular data or Wi-Fi.

For the new range, Samsung has struck a deal with Google to use its cloud-based’s generative AI technology, and will be the first Google Cloud partner to deploy Gemini Pro and Imagen 2 on Vertex AI via the cloud to smartphone devices. The Galaxy S24 series is the first smartphone equipped with the services. Gemini can generalise and seamlessly understand, operate across, and combine different types of information including text, code, images and video.

Looking at key features that are AI-enabled, for messages and other apps, Chat Assist is said to ensure communication sounds as it was intended. AI built into Samsung Keyboard can also translate messages, emails and more in real-time in 13 languages.

With the S24 Series, which will also be available for businesses, Samsung said the AI will allow users to connect and collaborate quicker, simpler and more effectively when it comes to work. For in-vehicle communications, Android Auto will automatically summarise incoming messages and suggest relevant replies and actions.

Note Assist in Samsung Notes will feature AI-generated summaries, template creation that streamlines notes with pre-made formats, and cover creation to make visible notes with a brief preview. For voice recordings, Transcript Assist uses AI and Speech-to-Text technology to transcribe, summarise and translate recordings.

Commenting on the launch, Qualcomm said it reflects another milestone in its strategic partnership with Samsung that will open up a new era in the mobile AI experience.

“Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy instils its advanced AI capabilities in the Galaxy S24 series, to enable new experiences with AI features to empower users’ everyday life,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice-president and general manager of mobile handset at Qualcomm Technologies.

“It also fuels advanced professional-quality camera, gaming experiences and ultra-fast connectivity including Wi-Fi 7, plus offers one of the most reliable authentication solutions available with our Qualcomm 3D Sonic Gen 2 technology.”

Assessing the prospects of the device in the current smartphone marketplace, analyst GlobalData said Samsung certainly has the resources and the scale to market the new AI feature and make consumers aware of edge-AI use cases.

“On-device AI will bring internet-less search capability to mainstream phones while keeping data more personalised and private since the data remains on the device rather than being sent to the cloud for processing. As Samsung once jumpstarted a 5G phone upgrade cycle, it will likely do so again with its on-device AI,” said GlobalData’s senior technology analyst, Anisha Bhatia.

“Moreover, while the benefits of 5G were not as visible to the consumer, Galaxy AI’s benefits should be more apparent. The more a consumer uses AI, the more enhanced it gets with additional use cases emerging. And what better place to include AI than devices that consumers live their lives on?  Premium phones continue to be responsible for mainstream adoption of 5G services.”

According to GlobalData research, 5G mobile service revenues in North America will reach $195.7bn by 2026. The company expects carriers to continue to use Samsung and Apple 5G phones to upsell high-end service plans to consumers.