Samsung Galaxy S24 Series Launched With On-Device Generative AI Tools

Samsung has unveiled its Galaxy S24 series of smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, California. The South Korean titan, recently dethroned from its top spot in global smartphone shipments, has made a significant wager on generative AI with its latest flagship range. This series includes the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24. Samsung has also developed a suite of AI functions, dubbed Galaxy AI, which is exclusive to these new Galaxy S models for now. Remarkably, these features operate entirely on-device, meaning they function without an Internet connection. For the Indian market, many of these features work in Hindi, plus 13 other languages.

Samsung Galaxy S24 in Marble Gray

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series will be available for pre-order in India starting from January 18, with retail availability set for January 31. In terms of hardware, the Galaxy S24 series represents iterative advancements. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example, adopts Apple’s approach by switching to a titanium chassis, while refining the design seen in the Galaxy S23 with a flat screen. The Galaxy S24+ and S24 feature armour aluminium frames and a matte finish, akin to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.

TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, stated, "The Galaxy S24 series transforms our connection with the world and ignites the next decade of mobile innovation. Galaxy AI, built on our innovation heritage and deep understanding of phone usage, opens new possibilities for users globally.”

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus in Sandstone Orange

At the core of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is an enhanced version of Qualcomm's latest processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, seemingly tailored for it. This suggests a higher clock speed offering better performance. The SoCs for the S24+ and S24 mark the comeback of Samsung's Exynos line, possibly the Exynos 2400. All models offer up to 12GB RAM, with the Ultra boasting a storage capacity of up to 1TB, while the S24+ and S24 top out at 512GB. All models start with a base of 128GB storage and 8GB RAM.

Samsung's display technology, a long-standing strength, sees an upgrade in the Ultra with a new 6.8-inch quad-HD Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel, claiming a 40 percent increase in brightness over its predecessor. It also introduces Gorilla Glass Armour, developed in collaboration with Corning. The Ultra features a 1-120Hz active refresh rate cycle. The standard S24 sports similar display tech with a 6.2-inch full-HD panel, and the S24+ has a larger 6.7-inch panel with 1440p resolution.

Camera enhancements leverage Samsung's ProVisual Engine, integrating Galaxy AI tools. The focus for the S24 Ultra is on its telephoto capabilities, featuring a new quad tele system with 5X optical zoom and a larger sensor, enabling optical quality zoom up to 10X, with digital zoom reaching 100X. Night photography is enhanced with a 200-megapixel sensor offering 60 percent more light intake, according to Samsung. The optical stabilisation system and algorithms are also refined for night photos and videos.

The S24 and S24+ feature more modest cameras - each model has a 50-megapixel primary sensor, the same 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera as the Ultra, and telephoto cameras with 10 and 12-megapixel resolutions, offering a maximum of 3X optical zoom.

Battery-wise, the S24 Ultra retains its predecessor's 5,000mAh capacity, while the S24+ and S24 have slightly larger batteries at 4,900mAh and 4,000mAh respectively. All models boast of IP68 water and dust resistance.

Software-wise, the latest OneUI 6.1, based on Android 14, underpins these devices. However, the highlight is the Galaxy AI suite of generative AI tools, rivalling Google’s AI features on the Pixel line. These tools leverage the new SoCs for quick processing, enhancing privacy and enabling features like Live Translate, Interpreter, Chat Assist, Notes Assist, and Transcript Assist.

Samsung says it has also increased its use of recycled materials in these new Galaxy S smartphones. Security enhancements include Knox Matrix passkeys and robust data protection with end-to-end encryption.