Samsung Unveils Galaxy S24 Series with Emphasis on AI and Enhanced Photo Editing Tools

John Biggs

Jan 17

Samsung just announced the Galaxy S24 series. As expected, this includes models of the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra, each priced at $800, $1,000, and $1,300 respectively.

In a step towards the future, Samsung is focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) in today's announcement. AI has been all the buzz in the phone manufacturing industry over the past ten years but it seems it's only just begun to mold the future of these devices after the generative AI boom of last year.

Samsung aims to be at the forefront of this technological leap, using generative AI as a software enhancement to its phone line. Most notably in the S24 line, this is evident in innovative changes made to image editing.

Samsung outdoes itself with AI image editing

With help from cutting-edge Galaxy AI editing tools, tweaks to images are faster and more efficient than ever before. Easy edits such as erasing, recomposing, and remastering an image can be made, and the AI can even suggest suitable changes to improve each photo. Also, using generative AI, users can fill in parts of an image background. If a picture is lopsided, AI will complete the borders.

Whenever generative AI is used, a digital watermark, as well as meta data, is added to the image, setting a new standard in the digital photography world. This technology also extends to an exciting new feature, Instant Slow-mo, which creates additional frames for a smoother slow-motion experience.

Joining forces with Google, another exciting feature announced is Circle for Search. This allows the user to circle a piece of text with a finger or S-Pen, instantly triggering a Google search for that word. This unusual feature is typically seen in Google's own Pixel devices, making this partnership a departure from the standard.

The collaboration between Samsung and Google extends beyond this, as they have jointly focused on software development for some years now. This includes the launch of a foldable version of Android and Samsung embracing Wear OS on its Galaxy Watch devices."

The device will utilize Google's in-house model, Gemini Pro, for a more intuitive utilization of familiar Samsung apps.

AI revolutionizes photography and image capturing

In the Galaxy S24 series, AI isn't restricted to post-production; it plays a significant role in capturing shots, pushing computational photography to new heights. "ProVisual," a new imaging engine, is an emphasis in Samsung's latest offering.

The Galaxy S24 series' ProVisual Engine is an all-encompassing suite of AI-enhanced tools transforming how images are captured, aiming to amplify creative freedom from setting up a shot through to sharing the final product on social media. The new 5x optical zoom lens works with a highly sensitive 50MP sensor, offering an optical-quality performance at different zoom levels, resolving shaky, pixelated images captured at a distance.

Interestingly, the S24 Ultra cuts the previous series' 10x optical zoom down to 5x, implying that a 10x zoom shot would be of "optical quality" rather than pure optical zoom.

Hardware Improvements, AI capabilities, and sustainability

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has 60% larger pixels than its predecessor, allowing more light in, which improves the device's ability to shoot in low light conditions. Optical image stabilization (OIS) enhancements and an image signal processor effectively reduce blurry photos and image noise.

The devices also boast Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, advancing professional-quality camera, gaming experiences, and ultra-fast connectivity, along with a sophisticated authentication solution.

Also, the S24 series comes in different capacities, and even offers a model in titanium. All three models sport 1 to 120 Hz adaptive refresh rates for their displays, along with an impressive 2,600 nit peak brightness and "optically enhanced" Corning Gorilla Armor glass for better resistance to scratch and drop damage.

On the environmental front, the Ultra uses metal made from 40% recycled steel and 100% recycled rare earth elements in its speakers. At least 50% recycled cobalt is used in the battery. All three devices' packing is made entirely of recycled paper.

Pre-selling for all three devices starts today, and they are expected to hit store shelves at the end of the month.