SAMSUNG GALAXY ULTRA IS HERE – AND IT’S THE FIRST SMARTPHONE TO TRULY OFFER AI
▶ Galaxy AI helps users with live translations as well as photo search and edit options, writes
In years past, smartphones leaned towards aesthetic flair – those that had the flashiest looks and more camera lenses stood out, with manufacturers highlighting them at their launches.
Software was also a key part – but thanks to artificial intelligence, never has it been this big of a deal.
So, forget hardware, because Samsung has officially launched the era of the AI smartphone with the Galaxy S24 series.
All models in the line-up – the S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra – come with Galaxy AI, Samsung’s on-device generative AI feature that vows to bring the experience of the technological craze in your hands. They are all available for sale in the UAE now.
At a time when the global smartphone market is slowing down – and Samsung recently being replaced by Apple as the top manufacturer – the segment needs something to revitalise consumer sentiment.
The National has already delved into the device’s specs and prices, so it is time to find out how the Galaxy S24 Ultra does in real life.
Form: What has changed?
You still get a 6.8-inch display, and the S Pen is still neatly tucked in the bottom-left edge.
The most notable change to the Galaxy S24 Ultra is that it now uses a frame made of titanium, a material lighter yet tougher that Apple began to use in last year’s iPhone 15 Pro devices.
However, it does not make that much of a difference in weight since the S24 Ultra clocks in at 232g – lighter than the S23 Ultra’s 234g.
The bezels are also a tad slimmer while the display is less curvy compared with its predecessor. Only the Ultra model uses titanium; the entry-level S24 and mid-tier S24+ still use aluminium frames.
Performance: Even speedier
The Galaxy S24 Ultra uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 chip, which gives it an up to 40 per cent bump in performance and up to 25 per cent better graphics processing. This ensures lag-free performance and speedy results as you zip through the device. This is critical as we go through the AI part in a while.
Heat control has also been improved as Samsung has doubled the size of the device’s vapour chamber. We did not encounter any heating issues, not even under the sun in the hot and humid weather in parts of the Philippines.
The Snapdragon Gen 3 processor also shines in the gaming department when we tested out Call of Duty Mobile on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Enter Galaxy AI
Samsung’s Galaxy AI is the biggest takeaway from the Galaxy S24 series.
Galaxy AI is aimed at helping users with certain tasks, from live translations and transcriptions in chats and calls, to editing and searching for images.
It is powered by Samsung’s Gauss machine learning platform, which it launched in November – indicating its official entry into the generative AI race.
If you still do not believe the age of AI has dawned on us, look no further. Galaxy AI includes Live Translation in 13 languages (initially), Interpreter that translates conversations even offline, Chat Assist that sets “perfect” conversational tones, the template creator Notes Assist and Transcript Assist that transcribes, summarises and translates voice recordings.
While driving, Android Auto has you covered, as it summarises incoming messages and can even send details such as your estimated time of arrival.
Learn everything
See something that you would want more information on or want to buy? Galaxy AI will use Circle to Search, powered by Google, to provide the details.
Circle to Search was announced the same week the Galaxy S24 series was launched, as the company aims to attract more users by modifying how they interact with search engines.
The feature will allow users to search for information on their Android smartphones without switching apps. They can do it by using intuitive gestures such as circling, highlighting, scribbling or simply tapping, the company said.
On a Galaxy S24 device, take
a photo of the subject you are interested in and draw a circle around it to find out more details. For example, if you see a pair of shoes, just do the above and Galaxy AI will provide more information, including prices and where you could get them. The feature also applies to a fancy restaurant or a landmark.
Manipulate photos ‘ethically’
A key aspect of generative AI has been its ability to manipulate images, and Galaxy AI offers functionality to support such advanced picture edits.
Want a person in a different position? Galaxy AI can
move them for you. Unwanted obstructions in your photo? It can remove them.
Select the elements you want modified by drawing a line around them. The bits not required are removed and Galaxy AI will add generated content into those spaces.
Improvements are in the offing. To ensure transparency and avoid misinformation, metadata is produced and a watermark is placed to indicate that an image has been enhanced or manipulated.
All of the features are useful, depending on your perspective. It is fun to play around with generative AI photo editing and explore with Circle to Search. But our money is on the productivity tools – they are useful especially for work and breaking down language barriers.
The even better part – they are all on-device, which eliminates the need for a third-party app and the risk of a virus attack.
Quad-lens camera
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a quad-lens camera bannered by a 200MP lens, plus two telephoto lenses with resolutions of 50MP and 10MP, respectively, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. Up front, there is still a 12MP lens.
While one of the Ultra’s telephoto lenses was bumped up to 50MP, Samsung decided to halve its optical zoom to 5x.
While it looks like a downgrade at first glance, it really is not. The bigger 50MP sensor compensates for the lower zoom, which should result in better images.
We reckon its night function has also been improved, with more solid details.
Battery performance
For the third year running, Samsung’s Ultra device clocks in at 5,000mAh. And like its predecessor, you can still stretch it from morning until early evening the following day.
Ditto for our standard onehour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, which showed that the Galaxy S24 Ultra lost only 5 per cent of juice.
Its charging features also remain the same. With a 45-watt charger, Samsung claims it can be charged up to 65 per cent in half an hour; we were able to hit 63 per cent in our test, and 86 per cent within an hour.
A 30-watt charger, on the other hand, yields results of 30 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively. Again, you will need your own charging cube because Samsung no longer includes those in the box.
Verdict
If this is the benchmark for the first generative AI smartphone, the S24 Ultra has set a pretty high bar. Sure, it is not perfect – we could do more with generative AI photo editing and speedier translations – but this is a really good start.
One thing that is certain is that Samsung is not afraid to push the envelope and offer something new. In any case, the South Korean technology giant has succeeded in one thing – it has opened the floodgates for what we can call the next great rush of smartphone innovation. Or maybe wait for Jony Ive and Co’s ‘iPhone of AI’.