AI everywhere: The highlights of Samsung's new Galaxy S24 phones

Two words summarize just about everything that's shiny and new in Samsung's latest series of flagship smartphones: artificial intelligence.

AI will translate phone calls in foreign languages for you in real time. AI will remove unwanted reflections from your photos. AI will even convert ordinary videos into smooth slow-motion footage. And that's not all.

Here's an overview of the biggest areas where AI is making a difference in Samsung's Galaxy S24 phones.

Much bigger editing options in images and videos

\- Remove reflections from photos: If you take a photo through a window, you'll often see the interior reflected in the glass. AI in the S24 can recognise this and will ask if you want to correct it.
\- Move or delete elements from photos: Similar to the "Magic Eraser" from Google's Pixel smartphones and photo app, users can remove unwanted objects or people from images. The gap is filled in from the rest of the image using generative AI. You can also move a person or object in the photo to a different position - and make it appear larger or smaller.
\- Straightening crooked photos: When realigning a crooked photo, you normally have to accept losing a bit of the photo's size, since you have to crop in on the photo to get a straight shot. But the S24 can solve this differently by using AI to guess what the missing parts are like.
\- Every video can run in slow motion: If you press a finger on the display during video playback, it is played out as a slow-motion recording. Samsung sees this function as a preview to see whether slow motion would even be worthwhile for the video. You can then use the edit menu to play back any part of the video in slow motion at a quarter or half of the original speed. Additional images are generated by generative AI. According to Samsung, there is no limit to the length of such artificial slow-motion recordings.
\- Watermarks for generative AI: Images in which elements have been added using AI are now given a watermark - and this is also noted in the metadata. This also applies to the image edges generated by AI when straightening or the AI-generated slow-motion images.

Real-time translations in 13 languages

\- Make phone calls in languages you don't speak: Need to book a table in a restaurant in a foreign language? The S24 will be your interpreter. The phone live translates what's being said at the other end and also translates your words for the other person (in a computerized voice). It's still to be seen how well this works in practice and how long the pauses in the conversation are.
\- A mobile translator: The S24 can also be used as a translator, for example when out shopping. It even works when you're offline, like on an airplane. The screen is split in two so that both parties can see their part of the conversation in translation.
\- The supported languages are Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.

Assistants with voice AI\- The note assistant can summarize texts from various sources.
\- The transcription assistant can convert audio recordings into text and distinguish between different people. It can also summarize and translate the content.
\- The writing assistant makes suggestions for formulations and can switch between formal and casual tones. If you're driving, Samsung's phone will suggest quick messages in chats, for example what time you're likely to arrive.

What sets the new Galaxy S apart

There are essentially two versions - the S24 in two sizes and the larger S24 Ultra with a little more advanced hardware, such as the new 5X optical zoom and the familiar stylus.
\- An iPhone-like frame: The S24 and the larger S24+ now have a more angular frame that is very reminiscent of the design of the latest iPhone models. The display of the S24 Ultra meanwhile has straight corners instead of the rounded ones on the S24 and S24+. The S24 Ultra is also the first Galaxy smartphone with a titanium frame.
\- A longer life: Samsung promises seven years of Android operating system updates and seven years of security updates, meaning your phone should be able to last well beyond the 2-3 years once expected of new phones.
\- Slightly less bad for the climate: Samsung says the carbon footprint per device has been reduced by 5.1% (Ultra) and 8.6/8.7% (S24/S24+) compared to the S23 series. This is made possible by using recycled materials in parts like the battery and speakers.

What will a Samsung Galaxy S24 cost?
Samsung Galaxy S24: The starting price for the model with 6.2-inch display, 128 GB of memory, 8GB of RAM and Exynos processor is €899 in Europe or $799 in the US.

Samsung Galaxy S24+: The starting price is €1,149 or $999. It comes with a 6.7-inch display diagonal, 256 GB memory, 8 GB RAM and an Exynos processor.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: The top model starts at €1,449 or $1,299. In addition to a 6.8-inch display diagonal, you get 5 camera lenses, 256 GB memory, 12 GB RAM and the third generation of the Snapdragon 8 processor in a customised Galaxy version.