Galaxy S24: special AI features and what they mean for you
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Samsung’s latest series of Galaxy S24 phones is finally official and — surprise, surprise! — so is Galaxy AI: a slew of AI-fueled features that have made the flagships their home.
I think it’s safe to say that the trendiest thing of 2023 was AI. The way in which the technology — which wasn’t in any way new in concept, really — blew up just because of a few apps that would recreate you in different styles of art was kind of new-age, yet expected.
But, oh boy, if you thought that AI was just a trend of yesteryear, have I got news for you. The technology is about to become a central part of the best phones of 2024. Samsung seems to be the first to that party thus far, with Galaxy AI being a huge focus for the Korean giant’s marketing strategy.
But what is this all about? Has Samsung made just another ChatGPT clone or could these features actually be useful for a Galaxy fan’s daily routine, should they decide to upgrade to a phone from the Galaxy S24 series?
Samsung introduced Galaxy AI alongside with the official reveal of its Galaxy S24 series of phones. The term is used to describe a series of AI-enabled features — a mix of ones you’ve seen before and cool new tricks — found on these latest flagship phones.
Sammy has tried to approach the subject matter of AI in a rational way: no single function is so crazy that people would have a hard time understanding (or using) it. And while tech aficionados may be disappointed by this approach, since the selection isn’t anything groundbreaking, the idea makes total sense: AI is becoming mainstream, but isn’t quite there yet, so this is a great way to get more people on board to try it.
At the same time, the clever choice to mix on-device and cloud-based AI computing was made so that Samsung could minimize any concerns regarding user data. The mix allows most of the data involved in Galaxy AI processes to stay on your phone, which some users will certainly appreciate.
The Galaxy AI suite doesn’t seem to be centralized either. Meaning, you won’t go to a dedicated Galaxy AI app in order to get things going. Instead, the features are seamlessly sprinkled throughout OneUI itself and are one tap or gesture away from being put to use: some hiding on the Galaxy S24’s keyboard, others in the camera app, etc.
This is Samsung’s fun new way to search for things in a more seamless manner on your Galaxy S24 phone. The title explains it all: if you’re, say, watching a video about plants on YouTube and you see one that you’re not familiar with, you can:
But that isn't all. Because while "circle to search" sounds really catchy, the reality is that you can also scribble over items or tap on them. And this only make sense, right? This sounds like a feature focused on the user-experience and that's a must if the company wants it to catch on with users.
Don’t get this one mixed-up with the one from Google. The Big G’s variant is capable of translating texts or even transcribing audio from vids pretty quickly, but Samsung’s take means things literally: a real time translation during a live phone call.
Well, almost real time. I mean, even translators can’t translate in real time, since they’d have to hear what is being said first. Same goes for the AI: it hears what the speaker is saying and after a short time, translates that into a language you can understand.
For the time being, 13 languages are supported, but Samsung may introduce more with time, depending on the popularity of Live Translate. Oh, and by the way: this is one of the features that happens entirely on your device, so your data is safe. As in: business owners are nudged to pick up on this one.
What about if you’re not on a call, though? Well, Samsung has considered that too and hence: this feature. It turns your Galaxy S24 into a split-screen experience, allowing you to break the language barrier. People on both sides get a transcription of what the other one is saying in a language that they can understand.
You’ve seen this one before: you get a text in a foreign language and the Galaxy S24 will be able to translate that for you. Neat.
What is new here, however, is Tone Tweak. This is an AI feature that aims to simplify the brainstorming process during texting for you. Say you want to say “Thanks a lot”, but in a professional manner, but the words just aren’t coming for whatever reason.
Well, with the push of a button, Galaxy AI can bring up several variants for you, which you can pick from.
This one seamlessly integrates with Android Auto, even bringing a touch of OneUI’s design magic to your car. But we’re here to talk about Galaxy AI, so how does that play into things?
Well, basically, the assistant is capable of going through your texts and summarizing them for you out loud, so that you don’t have to look at your phone or look at your car’s screen.
Not only that, but it can offer you suggested actions. You’ll be able to pick one from the list and then the AI will do the texting while you focus on the road. Sweet.
We’ve seen this one on Google’s Pixel line of phones before, but it’s nice to see it becoming more mainstream: live transcriptions. Basically, you can let the voice recorder on your Galaxy S24 run and it will transcribe the recording as it happens.
While that would've been cool enough on it's own, there are two extra goodies with this feature:
Galaxy AI can help you set up notes from pre-existing templates, which seem to be based on your reoccurring needs. This means that the AI will monitor to check if you’re making, for example, grocery lists often and if you are, it may start offering you premade templates to save you some time.
What’s really cool about this one is that the templates get these little custom covers with summaries and icons. A really neat personal touch!
Oh, and for those of you who are eager to get their hands on a Galaxy S24 Ultra: the Samsung Notes app will now utilize AI to read your handwriting better. What’s more, it will be able to straighten out handwriting via the S Pen too, so that it looks better. Neat.
I think it’s safe to say that the trendiest thing of 2023 was AI. The way in which the technology — which wasn’t in any way new in concept, really — blew up just because of a few apps that would recreate you in different styles of art was kind of new-age, yet expected.
But, oh boy, if you thought that AI was just a trend of yesteryear, have I got news for you. The technology is about to become a central part of the best phones of 2024. Samsung seems to be the first to that party thus far, with Galaxy AI being a huge focus for the Korean giant’s marketing strategy.
But what is this all about? Has Samsung made just another ChatGPT clone or could these features actually be useful for a Galaxy fan’s daily routine, should they decide to upgrade to a phone from the Galaxy S24 series?
What is Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S24?
Galaxy AI goes beyond photography-related features.
Samsung introduced Galaxy AI alongside with the official reveal of its Galaxy S24 series of phones. The term is used to describe a series of AI-enabled features — a mix of ones you’ve seen before and cool new tricks — found on these latest flagship phones.
At the same time, the clever choice to mix on-device and cloud-based AI computing was made so that Samsung could minimize any concerns regarding user data. The mix allows most of the data involved in Galaxy AI processes to stay on your phone, which some users will certainly appreciate.
The Galaxy AI suite doesn’t seem to be centralized either. Meaning, you won’t go to a dedicated Galaxy AI app in order to get things going. Instead, the features are seamlessly sprinkled throughout OneUI itself and are one tap or gesture away from being put to use: some hiding on the Galaxy S24’s keyboard, others in the camera app, etc.
What features does Galaxy AI on Galaxy S24 bring?
A new fun way to search for stuff, no multitasking required!
Circle to Search
This is Samsung’s fun new way to search for things in a more seamless manner on your Galaxy S24 phone. The title explains it all: if you’re, say, watching a video about plants on YouTube and you see one that you’re not familiar with, you can:
- Tap and hold on the Home button
- Circle (or tap) on the plant
- Get results about what that plant is, without ever leaving YouTube
Live Translate
Don’t get this one mixed-up with the one from Google. The Big G’s variant is capable of translating texts or even transcribing audio from vids pretty quickly, but Samsung’s take means things literally: a real time translation during a live phone call.
Well, almost real time. I mean, even translators can’t translate in real time, since they’d have to hear what is being said first. Same goes for the AI: it hears what the speaker is saying and after a short time, translates that into a language you can understand.
For the time being, 13 languages are supported, but Samsung may introduce more with time, depending on the popularity of Live Translate. Oh, and by the way: this is one of the features that happens entirely on your device, so your data is safe. As in: business owners are nudged to pick up on this one.
Interpreter
What about if you’re not on a call, though? Well, Samsung has considered that too and hence: this feature. It turns your Galaxy S24 into a split-screen experience, allowing you to break the language barrier. People on both sides get a transcription of what the other one is saying in a language that they can understand.
Chat Assist
You’ve seen this one before: you get a text in a foreign language and the Galaxy S24 will be able to translate that for you. Neat.
What is new here, however, is Tone Tweak. This is an AI feature that aims to simplify the brainstorming process during texting for you. Say you want to say “Thanks a lot”, but in a professional manner, but the words just aren’t coming for whatever reason.
Well, with the push of a button, Galaxy AI can bring up several variants for you, which you can pick from.
Hands-free communication assistant on the road
This one seamlessly integrates with Android Auto, even bringing a touch of OneUI’s design magic to your car. But we’re here to talk about Galaxy AI, so how does that play into things?
Well, basically, the assistant is capable of going through your texts and summarizing them for you out loud, so that you don’t have to look at your phone or look at your car’s screen.
Transcript Assist
We’ve seen this one on Google’s Pixel line of phones before, but it’s nice to see it becoming more mainstream: live transcriptions. Basically, you can let the voice recorder on your Galaxy S24 run and it will transcribe the recording as it happens.
While that would've been cool enough on it's own, there are two extra goodies with this feature:
- Galaxy AI can go through your voice recording transcript and create a summary for you in the form of bullet points
- The Notes app will be more accurate in it's ability to apply speaker labels, which is great
Note Assist in Samsung Notes
Galaxy AI can help you set up notes from pre-existing templates, which seem to be based on your reoccurring needs. This means that the AI will monitor to check if you’re making, for example, grocery lists often and if you are, it may start offering you premade templates to save you some time.
What’s really cool about this one is that the templates get these little custom covers with summaries and icons. A really neat personal touch!
Oh, and for those of you who are eager to get their hands on a Galaxy S24 Ultra: the Samsung Notes app will now utilize AI to read your handwriting better. What’s more, it will be able to straighten out handwriting via the S Pen too, so that it looks better. Neat.
Another cool trick that Samsung showed off during it's Galaxy AI presentation was especially designed for note takers (just like me!). With Samsung Notes, you don't need to add bullets: you can just jot everything down as it comes and, with a tap of a button, Galaxy AI can reorder and rephrase your notes in a more presentable and understandable manner.
Digital zoom? Not enough! The Galaxy S24 series is rocking AI Zoom too, which basically means that it’s using some AI magic to fill in the blanks between digital zoom distances. Sure: digital zoom already isn’t winning the populace’s favor, but having another option on board can’t hurt, right?
Have you ever wanted to slow down a video, only to find that it becomes choppy and unpleasant to view? Well, this one takes care of that issue via AI. Essentially, what is happening is that the AI is making up new frames between the existing frames, allowing you to enjoy a slow motion video even with clips captured outside of a dedicated slow-mo mode.
There are two facts that must be noted when talking about features, related to Galaxy AI:
For a quick refresh: metadata is basically hidden info about files. For photos, it could contain the device they were captured with or for videos: the date when they were taken. Metadata isn’t hard-coded into files, though and can be altered with a bit of effort, so keep that in mind.
And that’s about all of the Galaxy AI features that we know about for the time being. A lot of them sound pretty familiar, right? Most of those: from Google’s Pixel line of phones. While it is nice to see those leave the mothership so that other Android fans can enjoy them too, it will be interesting to see if Samsung brings even more to Galaxy AI in the future.
In the meantime, if this was enough to tip the scales and make you crave a Galaxy S24 series phone, you should know that pre-orders are already live and will last through to the end of January.
Galaxy AI and photography on the Galaxy S24:
A practical example of creative usage of Galaxy AI with photography.
AI Photo Editing:
- Edit Suggestion: AI will be able to scan your shot and suggest ways to improve it automatically.
- AI-powered editing: users will be able to remove blurring, reflections or to make their photos more crisp manually, if they don’t like the automated suggestions.
- Generative editing: Want to straighten out your shot without cropping it? This one can fill in the empty spaces created in the process. It will also allow you to delete objects from a photo, without leaving an ugly blemish behind. Oh, and it can also let you move things around entirely, if that’s your preferred way of doing things
AI Zoom
Digital zoom? Not enough! The Galaxy S24 series is rocking AI Zoom too, which basically means that it’s using some AI magic to fill in the blanks between digital zoom distances. Sure: digital zoom already isn’t winning the populace’s favor, but having another option on board can’t hurt, right?
Instant Slow-Mo:
Have you ever wanted to slow down a video, only to find that it becomes choppy and unpleasant to view? Well, this one takes care of that issue via AI. Essentially, what is happening is that the AI is making up new frames between the existing frames, allowing you to enjoy a slow motion video even with clips captured outside of a dedicated slow-mo mode.
What else do you need to know about Galaxy AI?
There are two facts that must be noted when talking about features, related to Galaxy AI:
- Some features will need you to have an active internet connection in order for them to work, and others will require a Samsung account too.
- Some AI-fueled features, related to images, won’t be supported by all social media platforms (likely, instant messaging apps too), so what you see on a Galaxy S24 phone won’t always be what other people are seeing.
- Any photos or videos, which have been produced with the help of Galaxy AI, will contain special metadata traces, so that bad actors won’t be able to fool anyone.
For a quick refresh: metadata is basically hidden info about files. For photos, it could contain the device they were captured with or for videos: the date when they were taken. Metadata isn’t hard-coded into files, though and can be altered with a bit of effort, so keep that in mind.
In the meantime, if this was enough to tip the scales and make you crave a Galaxy S24 series phone, you should know that pre-orders are already live and will last through to the end of January.
Things that are NOT allowed: