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Clearly, it’s time for a brand new method.
After years of primarily speaking about developments in {hardware}, at this yr’s first Galaxy Unpacked Occasion, Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF) selected to direct most of its consideration to the software program enhancements it’s built-in into the brand new S24 line of telephones. Particularly, the corporate described a sequence of AI-powered capabilities it collectively calls Galaxy AI. Given all of the current concentrate on generative AI and the truth that most of these software program enhancements are AI-driven, the choice makes full sense.
After all, in a declining smartphone market that’s changing into more and more aggressive for Samsung – and the place {hardware} differentiation is getting more durable to do – it’s additionally a sensible selection that merely displays the truth of right this moment’s smartphone market.
The brand new software-first tactic additionally displays the shifting wants and pursuits of smartphone patrons. Whereas many used to hone in on improved {hardware} specs, most patrons are actually extra within the varieties of new experiences that the latest-generation smartphones can provide. And that’s precisely what Samsung has emphasised with the S24.
The brand new Galaxy AI features embody a number of AI-powered options that make utilizing its newest telephones extra attention-grabbing, extra productive, and extra enjoyable. Given the communications-focused nature of a smartphone, most of the new options are focused on numerous varieties of message trade features, together with real-time language translation of cellphone calls and in-person conversations. For textual content exchanges, the brand new Chat Help operate cannot solely do language translation, but in addition tone adjustment to make sure that the message has the precise which means that it’s meant to have. Collectively, this can be a highly effective set of capabilities that makes the long-sought concept of having the ability to intelligently and thoughtfully converse with most anybody the world over a actuality.
Given its more and more vital function as an info retrieval gadget, Samsung additionally labored with Google (GOOG, GOOGL) to create a intelligent and helpful new methodology for looking for knowledge. Referred to as “Circle to Search,” the function does precisely what it says – lets you circle, underline or in any other case spotlight any textual content or any component in a photograph, video or graphic in your cellphone’s display together with your finger (or a stylus) and seek for extra info on no matter you choose. Actually, it will possibly even use GenAI-based searches to offer extra context or different background info on what you’ve highlighted. So simple as it sounds, it supplies a quick, intuitive new means to consider search and is prone to be a very fashionable amongst new S24 customers.
Not surprisingly, the S24 additionally consists of numerous GenAI-powered capabilities that target photographs and movies by software program Samsung calls the ProVisual Engine. A few of them are much like GenAI-powered picture modifying and creation options we’ve seen from different distributors (notably Google’s Pixel line of telephones). The flexibility to pick an object (or individual), transfer it round, take away it, independently alter it and different comparable capabilities provides an entire new degree of performance and refinement to the picture- and video-taking course of. Different new options construct on present Samsung capabilities, comparable to improved low-light seize of their Nightography mode, enhanced software-based picture stabilization, improved optical zoom and extra. Plus, regardless that not all of those capabilities are new to the market, many are new to the large viewers of Samsung patrons. As well as, as with many superior capabilities, the satan is within the particulars of how they’re carried out. Samsung has achieved quite a lot of work to make the method of utilizing these superior Galaxy AI options as straightforward and as intuitive as potential.
Simply because Samsung primarily mentioned its software program enhancements didn’t imply new {hardware} wasn’t included in its S24 line. Most notably, the brand new smartphones are among the many first to include Qualcomm’s (QCOM) Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which presents quicker compute and graphics efficiency, together with a tremendously improved NPU for dashing up the host of Galaxy AI-powered software program options. Actually, as with the previous few iterations, Samsung is getting an enhanced model of the Qualcomm SOC (formally referred to as Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Cellular Platform for Galaxy) with just a few further efficiency tweaks. The highest-of-the-line S24 Extremely is also the corporate’s first cellphone to incorporate assist for the brand new WiFi7 commonplace – additionally powered by Qualcomm – and the primary to include a titanium physique.
Samsung has additionally added some safety enhancements into the S24 line, together with an extension to its Knox line of safety features that it calls Knox Matrix. Leveraging password-less digital credentials, Knox Matrix makes use of Passkeys to permit safe entry to registered web sites and apps throughout trusted gadgets to cut back the chance of doubtless dangerous phishing assaults. New Enhanced Knowledge Safety options allow end-to-end encryption of knowledge that’s synced or backed up out of your cellphone to the Samsung Cloud.
Lastly, Samsung additionally made some vital enhancements in its sustainability initiatives with the S24 line. Most notably, the batteries on the S24 Extremely included at the least 50% recycled cobalt and the audio system embody 100% recycled uncommon earth components – a primary for any Samsung gadgets. The Extremely additionally consists of 40% recycled metal in its audio system and 10% recycled pre-consumer Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) in its quantity buttons.
Taken as an entire, the S24 line isn’t the standard kind of Samsung improve we’ve seen previously. The emphasis on the software program capabilities (and questions on whether or not or not a few of these capabilities can be made to previous-generation S sequence telephones) make this a unique form of product cycle. Nonetheless, I feel it’s the form of cellphone evolution we will anticipate to see from a lot of the main cellphone distributors for the subsequent a number of years. With the plain exception of foldable screens – which Samsung additionally leads in by way of its Z sequence foldable line – conventional smartphones have gotten more durable to differentiate from each other. Consequently, the software program experiences that firms can allow are prone to be main factors of differentiation for a while. For firms like Samsung, who’re depending on Google’s Android OS for a lot of the software program on their gadgets, that could possibly be a frightening problem. However as Samsung has demonstrated with its new S24 line, it’s potential to do.
Disclaimer: A few of the creator’s purchasers are distributors within the tech business.
Disclosure: None.
Supply: Writer
Editor’s Be aware: The abstract bullets for this text had been chosen by Looking for Alpha editors.
