Samsung releases new Galaxy S24 series with live call translation, notes organizer, and AI photo editing
It looks like artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay and has made its home in Samsung's newest smartphone!
During its Global Unpacked event that took place on Jan. 18, the tech giant welcomed the new year by introducing its latest revolutionary device, the Galaxy S24 series, equipped with AI-powered features.
For the first time, Samsung has incorporated on-device and Cloud-based AI into its smartphone invention to make functions such as editing pictures, organizing notes, and translating foreign languages much easier for users.
PhilSTAR L!fe got to test out the phone, and here's what we found out:
Circle to search
The Galaxy S24 series, comprised of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24, has made improvements in searching for something on the internet through its "Circle to Search" feature.
The tool serves as a new way to look up anything on your phone, be it a video, a photo, or a website. It is especially useful for those who need to look up something on Google, but are having difficulty articulating the right words for the search.
The way it works is that you must simply press the phone's home button and encircle a particular item in the picture that you're curious about. Once done, Google will immediately provide you with a myriad of results that are related to the item, allowing you to explore more information about it.
You can use this feature to look up recipes for a dish you want to make, find products on online shopping sites, or identify a painting that has fancied your eye. Keep in mind, however, that you can't apply this tool to apps that have privacy settings.
Notes organizer
If you rely often on your smartphone to take notes, the Galaxy S24 can help you with lectures and other educational materials that are tediously long to read.
The smartphone's AI technology can boost your productivity by organizing your notes into a more digestible format. There's even the option to choose from different designs that best suit your reading style.
Not only that, but you can also have long notes and texts summarized into just a few simple sentences that capture the general idea, allowing you to process information a lot faster. This feature can be applied to PDF documents and articles on the web browser.
Additionally, the device can provide transcriptions when you use the voice recorder app so you no longer have to put up with rewinding your recordings over and over again.
Translate foreign languages
The Galaxy S24 also has your back when you're communicating with someone who is speaking in a language you're not familiar with, so you no longer have to go through the hassle of relying on third-party apps to translate what they're saying for you.
The live translate feature comes in three forms: Live Translate, Interpreter, and Chat assist. In Live Translate, you can have a conversation with a foreigner, and what they're saying will immediately be translated by the phone's AI technology into whatever language you have set. An automated voice will also speak out your translated words to the other person so that they can also understand what you're saying, and vice versa.
The Interpreter tool is best used when you're having a conversation with a foreigner face to face. You won't need an internet connection to use this, so this is very convenient when you're traveling to another country and don't have any means to access the Wi-Fi.
Lastly, Chat Assist is available wherever you may need a keyboard, where your messages will instantly get translated by AI technology into the language you've chosen.
This feature can be used even if the other person isn't using a Samsung device, and it can also work with a landline number. Be warned, however, that the AI may not always accurately translate what you've said, so you may have to make some corrections.
Camera upgrades
Of course, a new phone is nothing without some exciting upgrades to its camera.
The Galaxy S24 comes with a new 5x optical zoom lens that effortlessly ensures greater detail and clarity. Users can also shoot stable videos while zooming in through its wider optical image stabilizers, with zoom levels from 2x, 3x, 5x to 10x magnification.
More importantly, it ups the ante when it comes to editing pictures by allowing you to remove details that may otherwise ruin the photo's aesthetic appeal, such as unwanted reflections. All you have to do is simply encircle the unwanted presence in the picture and the AI technology will work its magic.
In addition to that, you can also use generative AI to manipulate certain elements in the picture such as moving an item to another place. The AI will then analyze the image to fill in the gaps and come up with a new scenery to improve the image.
Other features
The Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 are available in Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow colors while the S24 Ultra is available in Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow finishes. Additional colors include green, blue, and orange.
Design enhancements were also made to the new series for an easier viewing experience, with slimmer and even bezels on the Galaxy S24+’s 6.7-inch and Galaxy S24’s 6.2-inch displays. Galaxy S24 Ultra meanwhile has a 6.8-inch flatter display, optimized not just for viewing but also for productivity.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery that can reach up to 65% charge in around 30 minutes while the Galaxy S24+ is equipped with a 4,900 mAh battery with the same charging speed. The Galaxy S24 has a much lower 4,000 mAh battery that can charge to up to 50 percent in around 30 minutes.
Users are also safe from having critical information compromised with the phone's multi-layer security platform Samsung Knox, which has end-to-end secure hardware, real-time threat detection, and collaborative protection.
The Galaxy S24 is priced starting at P53,990 while the S24+ starts at P68,990. For the S24 Ultra, you can purchase it starting P84,990. Pre-orders are available on their website.
