Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 Highlights & Analysis
by Leonard Lee , Executive Analyst, neXt Curve
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
EVENT SUMMARY:
Once again, neXt Curve was invited to attend Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in person. The event took place at the SAP Center in San Jose where the leading smartphone maker unveils its newest line of S Series premium offerings for the year.
Without a doubt, this year’s event promised to be centered around the theme of AI. After all, Samsung’s tagline for CES 2024 was “Galaxy AI is Coming”. It was also last year that the generative AI hype cycle went into full overdrive. A year later, the industry continues to ride the hype and the bandwagon.
Interestingly, the new line of Galaxy premium smartphones and Samsung’s AI strategy suggests some of the more measured approaches that personal device OEMs are taking with on-device AI which we will cover in our analysis.
KEY ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Galaxy S24 Series
The Galaxy S Series always takes center stage with the announcement of new S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra models that the company touts are geared for AI which translates into a few new AI features and a bevy of AI-augmentations and improvements of staple features in the Samsung camera, photo gallery applications and incorporation of native and 3rd party AI features in Samsung’s One UI OS.
Highlights of the unveiled devices include the introduction of titanium frames and a larger 6.7-inch display for the top end S24 Ultra. The S24 line maxes out at 12 GB of RAM to complement the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy with 41% improved NPU performance compared to the previous generation. The devices are AI capable as Qualcomm demonstrated the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 running a Stable Diffusion model locally which we demoed last year. (link)?
I had a chance to experience the new devices. As expected, a wonderful premium feel that is very similar to last years, so if you are familiar with the S23 Series devices, this year’s line may be too familiar. The titanium frame is light and durable.
For detailed specifications and features of the new Galaxy S24 line up, follow this link to the Samsung Galaxy S24 site (link).
Galaxy AI?
Oddly, the new Galaxy S24 Series smartphones didn’t take center stage. Galaxy AI did. After all, this year’s Unpacked event was about “AI Everywhere”. So, what is Galaxy AI? Galaxy AI is a suite of six native One UI (Samsung’s user interface) features that include:
With the exception of Android Auto, I had a chance to demo the remaining five features. They worked reasonably well but were not immune from the reliability and accuracy challenges that afflict AI features and functions especially if you went off the demo script. Sorry, generative AI does not solve these issues.
I found the Note Assist feature well done and useful for cleaning up notes especially on a relatively small notetaking device such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra that is prone to most users just jotting things down. I have terrible handwriting and tend to scribble all over the place in a less than organized manner. Note Assist managed to clean things up a bit and provide some useful summaries.?
It’s important to note that Galaxy AI features require a Samsung account and for the user to be logged in for the suite to be accessible. Most of the features are enabled by locally deployed Google’s Gemini Pro and Nano LLMs (Large Language Models).
Galaxy AI will be exclusive to the new line of Galaxy devices but “may” be propagated to other devices according to a Samsung spokesperson. Samsung provided no determination or detail. Clearly, Galaxy AI is a premium offering for the moment with the intent to drive AI-driven sales.?
Circle Search
Google’s new Circle to Search drew quite a bit of attention with some exiting demos that drew oohs and ahhs from those in attendance. The Galaxy S24 is the first phone to feature this novel Android AI function that Google and Samsung assert will revolutionize search on mobile device. Circle to Search is initiated with a long press on the home button. Users are then able to highlight, tap, or circle an item on the screen to get search results without having to open the Google Search app. Results appear in a tab that pops up from the bottom of the screen. Unlike most of the Galaxy AI features, Circle to Search requires access to the Google cloud.
AI Privacy Controls
Privacy and confidentiality are top concerns regarding generative AI in general. How it is instituted on device is a new frontier with mobile OEMs only beginning to productize Gen AI applications into their offerings. Samsung has implemented some basic privacy controls under a new section of setting called “Advanced Intelligence” that allow users to toggle the access of Galaxy AI applications and underlying AI models to their personal data and content. Users are also able to broadly restrict online processing and sharing of data by “advanced intelligence features” limiting them to on-device processing.
领英推荐
“Samsung’s New APU”
Despite having one of their key technology partners, Qualcomm, attending the event, a Snapdragon mention was curiously absent unlike at the Unpacked 2023 event. This year, Samsung is reintroducing Exynos into the S24 line up. S24 and S24+ models in select markets will come loaded with Samsung’s Exynos 2400 processors. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tops off the S24 Ultra globally and will power S24 and S24+ devices in the U.S., Canada, South Korea, and Australia. While it’s early to tell how the Exynos 2400 compares in performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Samsung seems to be confident that their newest APU can handle the new Galaxy AI workloads.
Finally, A Substantial Commitment to Sustainability!
A lot of companies talk a good sustainability game. Samsung is no exception. Most of these measures will have incremental impact on the environment. It was bold of Samsung to announce last year at Galaxy Unpacked 2023 that the Galaxy S23 Series would come with four years of software upgrades and security updates. Samsung unveiled that they will offer seven years of software upgrades and security updates to owners of Galaxy S24 Series devices following in the footsteps of Google’s move to provide similar support terms for their Pixel 8 handsets back in October of last year.
neXt Curve ANALYSIS:
Samsung continues to build and own its brand experience with AI
Samsung makes a commitment to sustainability AND customer value with device longevity
Galaxy AI means enhanced intelligent features but little in terms of monetization opportunity
Exynos Puts Pressure on Qualcomm Snapdragon
Is Leading Edge Silicon Becoming Too Pricey for Premium Smartphones?
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?? "Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat," Steve Jobs once insightfully remarked. It sounds like the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event is brimming with opportunities and advancements. ?? Can't wait for the detailed insights from Leonard Lee on how Samsung is shaping the future of technology! #Innovation #FutureTech ??
Worst possible experience. Even dropped a email to the CEO Office and evwn that turned out to be a disappointment. After using around 6 generations of Samsung phones from S3, Note, to S7 edge, S8+, s20 Ultra, S21 Ultra...finally I have decided to part ways with Samsung. Never going to ever buy a Samsung phone ever again.