Samsung‘s flagship smartphone series just got a lot smarter with Galaxy AI, which promises to revolutionize how you interact and use your phone for everyday tasks like browsing the web, searching for stuff online, and editing pictures.

And though the newly launched Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra aren’t the only phones bringing AI services to consumers (hello, Google Pixel!), Samsung is arguably the first big tech company after Google to lean heavily on mobile AI to make its phones stand out in the brutally competitive flagship market dominated by iPhones.

A quick aside: Samsung’s local NDA session for the Galaxy S24 lineup actually had very little mention of the hardware upgrades this year, focusing instead on the AI capabilities of the latest phones. Not that we’re complaining, though. It’s just surprising to see during a pre-launch briefing.

Visually, the new models don’t look much different from the previous generation. They’re not the revolution you were hoping for, at least from a design perspective. You get fresh color options across the board, and the top-of-the-line Galaxy S24 Ultra gets a flat display, along with a titanium frame, just like Apple’s 15 Pro series. Oh, and the top-shelf variant is noticeably lighter than its predecessor, too.

If you like taking pictures with your phone, you’ll be pleased to know that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has the best set of cameras ever on a Galaxy phone — at least based on the short time we’ve had with it — though you might not be thrilled at the idea of regular Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus maintaining the status quo in the camera department for the second consecutive year.

By contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s main camera retains the megapixel count of the previous model, but upgrades the telephoto shooter with an optically stabilized 50-megapixel sensor capable of up to 5x optical zoom.

Putting the ‘smart’ in smartphone with Galaxy AI

Samsung’s big buzz word for the Galaxy S24 series is “AI,” as the company has found new and meaningful ways to integrate advanced artificial intelligence software across the smartphone lineup. There’s a lot to unpack here. Some will be more useful to a certain set of users than others.

Students and folks who constantly travel for work may find the Live Translate feature handy, with its ability to translate voice and text in multiple languages in real-time as you speak on the device. No third-party apps needed, and the person at the other end of the line could be using any phone make or model — even a landline.

Catch Emma Myers dive right into the heart of Seoul, capturing its stunning details #withGalaxy S24 Ultra – and uncovering new sights through Circle to Search with Google. #TeamGalaxy #GalaxyS24 Ultra #SamsungUnpacked

Learn more: https://t.co/6tdRbiH24R pic.twitter.com/ksmChCHfcK

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) January 17, 2024

Those who constantly travel may find the Live Translate feature handy

Galaxy AI is also built into many first-party apps, including the Samsung Internet browser app, allowing you to summarize and translate web pages, or format them for easier reading. Meanwhile, the revamped Samsung Keyboard has an autocorrect function for spelling and grammar, and can even adjust your writing style to make your messages sound more polite and formal or emoji-ridden (we’re not kidding).

Galaxy AI in the Camera app will unlock optical-quality performance at zoom levels from 2x to 10x magnification. There is also a bunch of new AI-powered editing options in the Gallery app like Generative Edit, which can fill in parts of an image background with generative AI, in addition to the Object Eraser and Reflection Eraser tools for image editing.

@revuphilippines Here's how to use #CircleToSearch on the #Samsung #GalaxyS24 series phones! So easy! For local pricing and availability of the phones, swing by #RevuDotComDotPH / www.revu.com.ph. #GalaxyS24Series #GalaxyS24Ultra #GalaxyS24Plus #GalaxyS24 #GalaxyAI #SamsungUnpacked #Google #AI ♬ original sound – Revu Philippines

How to use Circle to Search on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series

The Samsung Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra are likewise the first to debut the intuitive Circle to Search function with Google. With a long press on the home button, you can circle, highlight, scribble on, or tap anything on your unit’s screen to see helpful, high-quality search results without launching another app. If you want to further narrow down the search, you can also add optional words, such as your favorite online shopping platforms.

There’s a lot more, actually, but those are a few memorable ones off the top of our heads. We’ll update this article with a video showing those.

Curious choice of chipsets

Besides the mobile AI stuff, the other thing that stood out to us at the briefing was Samsung’s choice of chipsets for the variants that will launch in the Philippines. Both the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus will arrive with the Korean tech giant’s own Exynos 2400 processor, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — aka the one fans were probably hoping to get.

If it makes any difference, we’re told that all three Galaxy S24 phones will offer the same AI capabilities. However, as we’ve yet to fully and adequately test any of the devices, we can’t really comment on performance other than to say that all three phones felt buttery smooth and responsive during the time we had them.

Then again, that may be partially due to Samsung’s new One UI 6.1 interface. The Android 14-based custom overlay will debut on the Galaxy S24 series with more fluid animations and a generative AI-powered wallpaper generator, which we were surprised to see.

U.S. and Philippine pricing and availability

Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus starts at $799 (around P44,785 converted) and $999 (P55,995), respectively, in the United States. Samsung’s top-shelf Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, is priced from $1,299 (P72,810). That’s $100 (P5,605) more than the Galaxy S23 Ultra at launch. Shipping begins on January 30.

In the Philippines, the Samsung Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra start at P53,990 ($965), P68,990 ($1,233), and P84,990 ($1,519), respectively.

Samsung Galaxy S24 specs

• 6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 1-120Hz refresh rate
• Exynos 2400 for Galaxy
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB storage
• 50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel telephoto rear cameras
• 12-megapixel front camera
• Under-display fingerprint sensor
• Stereo speakers
• 4,000mAh battery
• 45-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, 4.5-watt reverse wireless charging
• IP68 dust and water resistance
• OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14
• Color options: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus specs

• 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 1-120Hz refresh rate
• Exynos 2400 for Galaxy
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB storage
• 50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel telephoto rear cameras
• 12-megapixel front camera
• Under-display fingerprint sensor
• Stereo speakers
• 4,900mAh battery
• 45-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, 4.5-watt reverse wireless charging
• IP68 dust and water resistance
• OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14
• Color options: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs

• 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 1-120Hz refresh rate
• 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
• Adreno 750 GPU
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage
• 200-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 50-megapixel telephoto (5x optical zoom), 10-megapixel telephoto (3x optical zoom) rear cameras
• 12-megapixel front camera
• Under-display fingerprint sensor
• Stereo speakers
• 5,000mAh battery
• 45-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, 4.5-watt reverse wireless charging
• IP68 dust and water resistance
• Titanium frame
• OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14
• Color options: Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow

---