Samsung Electronics Co.’s new Galaxy S24 series smartphones are displayed during the Unpacked event at SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Jan. 17, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday unveiled its latest Galaxy S series smartphones, featuring real-time translation for phone calls and improved camera performance powered by on-device artificial intelligence (AI).
Samsung Electronics’ flagship phone lineup came in three models — the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra — during the Unpacked event at SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The top-end Ultra model runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip, a customized version by Qualcomm Inc. for the Korean smartphone brand, while the other two models are powered by Samsung Electronics’ Exynos 2400 chip.
The world’s largest smartphone maker said the new Galaxy S24 series will be the first smartphone with built-in generative AI, which offers brand-new services, like live translation and interpretation, and upgraded performance in camera and image processing.
An official demonstrates a Galaxy S24 series smartphone’s generative AI-powered editing features during the Unpacked event by Samsung Electronics Co. at SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Jan. 17, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
“The Galaxy S24 series will open a new era of mobile AI phones beyond the smartphone era,” Roh Tae-moon, head of the mobile business division at Samsung Electronics, said during the Unpacked event. “Galaxy AI will change the way users experience the world and unleash their unlimited potential.”
One standout feature is the “Live Translate” function, enabling real-time translation of audio and text between languages directly from the native phone application.
Samsung Electronics stresses that this simultaneous interpretation relies on on-device AI, eliminating the need for third-party apps or cloud servers and addressing security concerns.
“It’s like we have an interpreter inside our smartphones,” Joey Hwang, who led the Galaxy S24 series project at Samsung Electronics, said in a separate press briefing held in Seoul. “The interpreter offers live translation service to any phone, whether it is a Galaxy phone or not, or a fixed-line or mobile phone.”
Users simply specify the language of the person they are calling and start the phone call, he added.
The AI interpreter also supports live translation of text messages and chats on messenger apps, along with adjusting the tone in writing.
The speech to text transcription service is also available on the Galaxy S24′s on-device record app.
The AI-led translation service supports 13 languages, including Korean, English, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.
An official sets up the new Galaxy S24 series smartphones at a store of Samsung Electronics Co. in Seoul on Jan. 18, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Additionally, a collaboration between Google and Samsung Electronics introduces “Circle to Search,” a feature that automatically performs searches for circled words or images using generative AI.
Another new feature of the new Galaxy S24 series is the “ProVisual Engine,” leveraging AI to enhance zoom capabilities, particularly at night, said Samsung Electronics.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x telephoto zoom camera, featuring an adaptive pixel sensor and AI for optimal shot adjustments, including identifying and optimizing shots of distant objects.
Its generative AI extends its functionality to post-processing, assisting users in editing photos by filling in missing objects or removing shadows and light reflections.
Samsung Electronics said it will provide seven years of major updates and security patches for its flagship series, aligning with its strategy to extend the lifecycle of an IT device.
The new Galaxy S24 series will be officially launched on Jan. 31 worldwide, the company said.
In South Korea, preorders will run from Jan. 19-25, with prices starting from 1.69 million won (US$1,257) for the Ultra model, 1.35 million won for the Plus model and 1.15 million won for the S24.
(Yonhap)
