The crowd cheered as Samsung Electronics unveiled its first smartphone with artificial intelligence features, kicking off a new era for next-generation smartphones.
Samsung showed off its Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event held in San Jose, California, on Jan. 18. The song “Welcome to the Future” blasted in the background as the 2100 people gathered in the SAP Center awaited the product reveal.
The Galaxy S24 series is Samsung’s first AI-powered smartphone. The company worked with Google and Qualcomm to implement generative AI features into the device. Key features of Galaxy S24 include real-time call translation and texts that are automatically translated into 13 languages - including English, French, and Spanish - even when the phone is in flight mode.
“The Galaxy S24 series will transform our connection with the world and reshape the next decade of mobile innovation,” said Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics.
At the Unpacked event, Samsung focused on demonstrating the AI features of the Galaxy S24 series, including real-time call and text translation, enhanced camera performance and a Circle to Search feature developed in partnership with Google.
Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s Senior Vice President, explained that Circle to Search is the first application of generative AI powered by Google Cloud and the Gemini AI model. “We believe this collaboration will provide Galaxy users with a more advanced AI experience,” he said.
Towards the end of the event, Samsung surprised the audience with a preview of the Galaxy Ring, a new smart ring device. While Samsung did not disclose the Galaxy Ring’s features or when it will be released, the company hinted that it is expected to be a health-focused device.
“We’re taking the most advanced innovations of Samsung Health to the next level by applying them to a new form factor, the Galaxy Ring,” said Matthew Wiggins, head of the Health Solutions Lab at Samsung Research. “This device will change the future of health technology.”
