AI in Smartphone, photo by Kelvin Valerio on Pexels
The forthcoming release of the Samsung Galaxy S24 is mostly focused on the phone's AI features. Nonetheless, some have expressed concern over the perceived absence of hardware improvements. Some argue this is the first time AI in smartphone software enhancements has surpassed hardware upgrades in new phones. Is this something we should be pleased about or concerned about, given the high price tag that currently comes with every flagship phone?
Issues of Current Smartphone Brands
One of the most difficult aspects of launching a new phone is distinguishing itself from the competitors. In the early days, this meant a lot of rapid invention. The diversity of alternatives was amazing; consider the contrast between a Blackberry and an iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. However, this has gradually altered, and the phones now appear to be identical in appearance, as well as in specifications.
Part of this is due to the overall cost of the hardware components against how much phones can feasibly be sold. Experimentation is a risk, and it may not pay off. If you decide to innovate and fail, you'll end up with a product that will never sell. AI does not face this issue; it can be altered, adapted, and even experimented with in ways that hardware cannot.
Samsung is strongly promoting its onboard AI, Samsung Gauss, and the capabilities introduced in the OneUI 6.1 update. These capabilities include in-call translations, the ability to summarize text, and many photo and video options. When these capabilities are used, photos and videos appear to achieve a quality that a simple, artificially dumb camera cannot match.
You Get an AI Phone, Everyone Got an AI Phone
Samsung S24 Ultra as the AI Phone, photo by SCREEN POST on Pexels
To understand why 2024 will be the year of the AI Phone, we must first grasp what the leading phone makers mean by the term and how we arrived at this point.
Artificial intelligence is more than just smarts or automation; it is a leap forward. AI is generally trained and capable of making logical leaps. It can, for example, identify a tree or a dog since it has been shown (or trained on) millions of photos of trees and dogs, and the AI now recognizes their appearance.
AI has arrived on the phones of the market's main competitors, and with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung will prove that it can compete with Google and Apple. This year, we may expect significant AI capabilities advancements thanks to the Snapdragon Gen 3's standalone AI neural chip. However, AI is at the forefront regarding new smartphone features, owing to the Galaxy AI.
5 Standout Galaxy AI Features
Unlocking a limitless possibility, the Galaxy AI suite introduces cutting-edge features that redefine how we interact with our devices. From seamless Generative Edit to intelligent chat assists, these five standout features showcase the pinnacle of innovation.
1. Galaxy AI Editing Tools
Innovative Galaxy AI editing features allow for basic tweaks like erasure, re-compose, and remastering once fantastic photos are taken. Here are some of the features of Galaxy AI editing tools:
- Edit Suggestion: Employs Galaxy AI to make the right adjustments and suggestions for every picture, making improvements simpler and more effective.
- Generative Edit: Now, we can employ generative AI to fill in portions of an image's backdrop, giving users more artistic freedom and control. Artificial Intelligence will fill in the boundaries of an uneven image. AI allows users to modify the subject's position and creates a flawlessly blended background in the original location when an object needs to be moved slightly to be in the ideal spot.
- Instant Slow-mo: To smoothly slow down action-packed moments for a more in-depth view, the new Instant Slow-mo can produce additional frames based on movements.
2. Circle to Search
As the name suggests, Circle to Search allows you to draw a circle around anything on your phone's screen to start a Google search. Have you noticed anything appetizing in your Instagram feed for brunch? Simply draw a circle around it, and Google will display recipes and neighboring eateries serving comparable food. Similar to Google Lens, however, instead of requiring you to take a picture beforehand, you can search for practically anything on your phone's screen.
3. Live Translate
Live Translate, one of the best Galaxy AI capabilities, provides real-time translations when making phone calls. This feature's best feature is that everything takes place on the device. Your phone never retains any information or call records, nor do they ever get processed on a cloud server.
In this case, one further advantage of on-device processing is that the translation is natively performed on the Galaxy S24. On the other hand, the person may be holding any kind of smartphone or even a landline phone. There isn't a standard technological expectation on either side.
Users notice a new Call Assist button above the main dialer controls when they initiate a call. When you tap on it, two options appear Live Translate and Text Call. Users can select the language conversion at the top of the screen when the latter is enabled. Once the two-way translation presets are specified, you can proceed.
4. AI Transcript Assist
Voice memos can be translated, summarized, and transcribed, all done using phones. Additionally, users can personalize how the summaries are displayed, and since everything is done on the device, internet access is unnecessary.
5. AI Chat Assist
The phrase "Chat Assist" refers to three new capabilities that have been added to the Messages app: writing style (which rewrites words in different tones before you send them, similar to Google's Magic Compose), spelling and grammar checker (which analyzes messages for problems), and chat translation (which translates text messages into different languages).
We can translate a whole conversation thread into a different language with a few taps, eliminating the need to copy and paste content or open several apps. Those who travel frequently or frequently speak with family members or coworkers who speak a different native language may find this function useful.
A Quick Heads Up, Though
Implementing AI in smartphones might be the most significant hit in 2024. However, there are still no words on how much these AI features might cost you in the future. Notably, the majority of Samsung's AI packages run on the cloud. The translation and other capabilities work entirely on-device, but some of the more remarkable demos, such as Generative Edit and transcription, are cloud-based.
On the other hand, Samsung's lack of clarity reminds us of a service that Google promised would be paid for but continues to be free. When Google first introduced the Nest Hub (2nd Generation)'s Sleep Sensing feature, it stated that a subscription would be required later however, a few years later, no such subscription still exists.
