On Wednesday, South Korean company Samsung unveiled its latest flagship smartphone lineup, the "S24," which is equipped with various artificial intelligence functions, including real-time translation for phone calls. This move is part of the company's efforts to challenge its American competitor, Apple. According to data firm International Data Corporation, Apple surpassed Samsung in smartphone exports for 2023, dethroning the Korean company that held the top position since 2010.
In response, Samsung is introducing many AI features in the Galaxy S24 as part of its strategy to attract buyers. The new phones will boast two-way voice translation in real-time during live phone calls conducted in two different languages, which the company claims is a first for any smartphone. This feature is available in thirteen different languages, thanks to Samsung's generative AI training.
Additionally, the phone offers a "circle search" feature, where drawing a circle around any part of an image on the screen allows users to search for it on Google. Other features include AI-assisted translation, the ability to change the tone of messages to formal, informal, commercial, or social styles, as well as AI-enabled summarization, translation of voice recordings, and "generative editing" of images to fill in non-existent backgrounds. There is also a feature that converts video clips in real-time to slow motion by filling in missing frames using AI.
**Privacy and Security**
The AI embedded in the devices indicates generative AI functionalities that are uploaded to each user's device after training, which do not require a connection to cloud computing systems. Companies like Qualcomm and Samsung promote embedded AI as being more secure for personal information, as it does not necessitate sending data to the cloud for use. Canalys data suggests that only five percent of smartphones shipped in 2024 will be capable of utilizing AI, but this percentage is expected to increase to 45 percent by 2027.
To implement this advanced technology, Samsung has entered a multi-year partnership with Google to integrate "Gemini Nano," the company's most efficient large language model, and will have access to "Gemini Pro" and "Imagine2" technologies for text-to-image conversion via the cloud. The Galaxy S24 series will be available starting January 31st.
In the United States, the base model of the Galaxy S24 will start at $799, with two higher-spec versions: the "S24 Plus" at $999 and the "S24 Ultra" at $1299. Samsung maintained the base and Plus model prices at the same level as last year, while increasing the Ultra model's price by $100.
