Samsung Electronics Co on Wednesday announced its latest Galaxy smartphones with new artificial intelligence (AI) features as the South Korean giant seeks to win back its spot as the world’s biggest phone seller from Apple Inc.
“Artificial Intelligence will bring about great change in the mobile industry,” Samsung president T.M. Roh said as he launched an event in a sports center in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose, California.
Mobile devices are to become the primary access points for AI, with Samsung aiming to be a leader on that path, Roh added.
Photo: Bloomberg
The premium S24 Ultra smartphone unveiled at the event is said to be able to interpret foreign language phone calls and translate texts in real time.
A Samsung executive likened it to having an interpreter taking part in multilingual phone calls.
Available in 13 languages, the on-device function is powered by Samsung’s own AI technology.
Through a partnership with Google, which makes the smartphone’s Android operating system, the S24 also offers an unprecedented search function, which, also using AI, allows users to simply circle a phrase or image they want to search.
The feature eliminates the need to juggle between apps for searches with meddlesome cut-and-pasting, the company said.
Messaging and car system features such as navigation are also augmented with AI to either recommend responses or tend to tasks while allowing drivers to focus on the road, it said.
AI also enhances the phone’s camera powers, with generative AI helping to fill in or remove backgrounds, it added.
Similar AI features are widely rumored to be a part of Apple’s next iPhone 16, likely to be released later this year.
The Galaxy S24 series is to begin shipping on Jan. 31 with the top-of-the-line Ultra starting at US$1,299.
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