The Samsung Galaxy S24 Series - AI Innovation?

Samsung's S Series of flagship smartphones has long been the bastion of innovation when it came to hardware. However, with the latest Galaxy S24 Series, Samsung has seemingly shifted to software innovation (cough AI cough), and I do have a few thoughts about it that I need to get off my chest.

Forgive this writer's scepticism, but as a fan of the hardware brilliance that has been seen on previous versions of the Galaxy S Series, the focus on AI with the new S24 lineup seems a bit off-putting. It is almost as if Samsung is trying to make up for something that is lacking on the new S24 Series, or perhaps in the people that use it.

Before you blast me into the emptiness of the galaxy with your AI moonshots and whatnot, let's take a look at the array of AI features that Samsung has quite (not) innovatively called Galaxy AI (wonder how many shots of espresso it took to come up with that name).

The first thing we need to get out of the way is the fact that Galaxy AI is a collection of 'Artificial Intelligence' features scattered across various aspects of One UI 6.1 software skin over Android 14 that runs the new S24 Series.

Live Translate - Easing Communication With Some Hilarious Results

Live translation is a feature that I find myself envisioning good uses for. From say talking to long-lost relatives in my mother tongue (if Samsung does make that available) or messaging a friend I've made when trawling through various cat videos on the social interwebs.

However, it is only after a bit of introspection on the same interwebs(ie: watching YouTube and online reviewers who have a lot more sense and experience than I do explaining/showing off the feature) that the actual viability of Live Translate comes to light.

If you want to hold a regular conversation about a transaction or something similarly mundane, it works fine, but get a bit casual with the way you speak and the results are hilarious(ly awful at times). Asking a computer model to put down words or speak like a native still looks a long way off, but for now, in some conversations.

And then of course there are the tones of voice you can use while using chat assist to reply to a message. When talking to your boss, get a bit formal; when talking to a friend, let your tone be casual or social.

However, I would want to know the herbal tea that was being drunk when the Shakespeare option was thought up. And while I hope it composes texts in iambic pentameter, Tony Stark's Shakespeare in the Park from the Avengers - "Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" wouldn't be kicked off my acceptable list.

Another feature that should really help you track conversations is the note and voice transcript summarization which will help you keep track of what happened in conversations and meetings with ease. So yeah, it is something I can get behind, especially because it happens on the device.

Photos & Videos - Is Anything Real Anymore?

Now let's get to the major thing you use your phone for, taking photos and videos. Hold your galactic horses, I know most of us can't stop doom-scrolling, but some of us do click a few photos here and there from time to time.

While the camera hardware has mostly remained unchanged compared to the S23 lineup, except for the Ultra dropping the 10X zoom camera for a 5X unit. Once you take your photos and head into the gallery, there are quite a lot of Generative AI editing features that blur the line between what's real and what's not.

Once the generative AI gets to work helping you out, you can move items around the frame and erase them, or even adjust the horizon. The same generative AI gets to work in making slow-motion AI videos.

The only way people know that the video/photo is AI generated is the Galaxy AI logo. However, even those can be edited out and the metadata wiped clean when you share it on your Gram or wherever, so the question, I've got to ask is, what is real now?

Circle To Search - A Shopaholic's Dream Or A Burned Out Wallet Nightmare

Now, let's get to the other thing you use your phone for, shopping. Yes, even the guy putting these words down is a sucker for sales and promotions and whatever else pops up on his screen ends up burning a hole in the wallet.

With the new Circle to Search feature, you can draw a circle around whatever you wish; find more details and even shop for it online. Thinks of it as a supercharged Google Lens, which at the end of the day is what it really is, but everywhere on your phone. So watch your wallet, if you have anything left after purchasing any of the three S24 devices.

Google - The Problem With Galaxy AI

Samsung and Google joining hands to power the new Galaxy AI is something that was celebrated when it was first announced. For the Android verse, its two biggest players - the owner of the software and the biggest hardware firm to use said software - coming together is the only way to take on the might of Apple.

However, this is also where the new S24's focus on AI falls a bit flat. Powering the whole Galaxy AI experience is Google's Gemini Large Language Model (LLM) and many of the hyped features are something we've either seen on a Pixel 8 Series device (photo editing) or is something that is coming to those devices (Circle To Search dropped today for the Pixel 8 lineup).

Thus, the question remains: where, precisely, is the innovation? The software is mostly Google AI with a few bonus features that work well in certain conversations or interactions. Adding in the fact that you will have to end up subscribing to the AI features from 2025 onward, makes you wonder why you dropped that much dough on the device.

Even the hardware innovations aren't much to really crow about. Certainly, the flat screens are bright, but OnePlus has just released an eye-searing panel on its new flagship device. The Titanium frame of the Ultra is impressive and all, but Apple got there first and the reduction in the zoom level is a detail that spec enthusiasts are lamenting.

So in the end, this fan of the Galaxy lineup is left wondering just when will Samsung return to its innovative best. With new hardware due in the fall in the form of the foldy phones, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best, despite knowing deep down that AI will once again be the buzzword when Flip and Fold come about.