Fast Charge: The Galaxy S24 range could be the first with useful GenAI features

OPINION: Samsung announced Galaxy AI, a new Generative AI-based model that will deliver a “comprehensive mobile AI experience” and “universal intelligence on your phone” back in November 2023 – but we’re yet to see it in action. 

Samsung did provide a few exciting examples of what the tech could do at its announcement, outlining that it will be focused on communication, productivity and creativity. 

One specific example, dubbed AI Live Translate Call, will provide audio and text translation in real-time during phone calls, similar to Google’s Live Caption feature on its Pixel range, but without the need for an active internet connection. 

It’s also likely that Samsung’s virtual assistant, Bixby, will benefit from on-device AI capabilities, and we’ll likely see some GenAI infusion within the camera or gallery apps, though just how is yet to be seen. 

However, that should change with the reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S24 range which Samsung recently confirmed to be taking place on 17 January 2024.

While Samsung has yet to explicitly state that Galaxy AI will be present in its 2024 flagship range, it has heavily hinted at it. It would make a lot of sense too, especially given the chipsets rumoured to be used in the upcoming collection. 

Per said rumours, the Galaxy S24 range is said to be built on either the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or Samsung Exynos 2400, two chipsets that support on-device Gen AI capabilities, depending on where you are in the world. Those in the US will get the Snapdragon variant while UK and European users will get the Exynos version.  

Qualcomm made a big fuss about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s on-device GenAI capabilities at its announcement in October 2023, showing off various use cases for AI on smartphones including a virtual assistant that can summarise phone calls and provide notes or even ‘zoom out’ on photos that have already been captured, using AI to analyse and intelligently fill the frame. 

The Exynos 2400 is said to be on similar levels when it comes to Gen AI capabilities, with Samsung claiming that the chipset was designed with GenAI in mind and boasts a 15x improvement in AI capabilities compared to the older Exynos 2200 chipset. The company has also demonstrated similar feats including standard text generation, text-to-image generation and more.

With that said, it seems that regardless of chipset specifics, the S24 range will have impressive GenAI capabilities for Samsung’s Galaxy AI to take advantage of. 

Samsung also claimed at the Galaxy AI reveal that it’d appear on phones ‘early next year’, which perfectly lines up with the S24 range’s January 2024 reveal. So at this point, it’s almost a given. 

It’s particularly exciting as, despite flagship GenAI-supported chips like the Exynos 2400, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300 beginning to appear in devices, manufacturers like Xiaomi and Vivo have yet to bake Gen AI capabilities into their respective OSs. 

The fact that Samsung is ready to come out swinging on the AI front with the S24 range could make the collection truly stand out on the 2024 smartphone stage, but we’ll have to wait and see for sure.