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5 exciting Galaxy AI features that make Samsung's S24 phones worth the upgrade

These practical and useful AI features coming to the Galaxy S24 might convince you it's time to make the switch.
Written by Jack Wallen, Contributing Writer
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
June Wan/ZDNET

AI has arrived, in full force, on phones for the biggest players on the market, and, with the Galaxy S24, Samsung is coming to prove it can stand toe-to-toe with Google and Apple. The new Galaxy phones are available for preorders starting today, in sync with the company's Unpacked event.

Also: Every product Samsung announced at Unpacked 2024

This year, we're seeing some serious upgrades (a new Qualcomm chip, a brighter screen, and an even further refined design). But as far as the new capabilities for the phones, AI takes the spotlight, thanks to Galaxy AI.

What is Galaxy AI?

Samsung describes Galaxy AI as a "comprehensive mobile AI experience." This new addition to the Galaxy flagship phones will add a level of "universal intelligence" the company has never before offered. With Galaxy AI, your communications, productivity, and creativity will be greatly enhanced.

Also: This AI can find your location just by looking at a few photos

What are those capabilities? First off, it's important to note that each of the AI features will be powered by a combination of onboard and cloud processing. This should come as no surprise, given how much processing is required for some AI-driven tasks (and no phone has yet to reach the magnitude of power required for AI to function without the help of the cloud).

With that said, what are the new AI-centric features to be found on the new Samsung Galaxy S24? Here they are.

1. Circle to Search with Google

This should go a long way to make your online searches even more efficient. From within any application, you can long press the home screen button and then circle, highlight, or tap any piece of information within the app to run a Google search, without having to first leave the current app. 

This feature is especially great to use with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's S Pen. As for whether or not the company plans to bring the feature to older models, that remains up in the air, but I wouldn't be surprised if it stays exclusive to the latest Ultra for some time.

2. Generative Edit

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra - AI Editor
June Wan/ZDNET

Generative Edit is similar to Google Photo's Magic Editor, where you can make complicated edits without having to have pro-level editing skills. Samsung's Generative Edit allows you to long tap on a subject in a photo and move, resize, or remove it. 

Also: How to use Object Eraser on Samsung phones

This new editing feature will also allow you to expand and improve images using generative fill, simply requiring you to crop in or out of an image to prompt the AI.

3. Live Translate

Another feature similar to what is found on Google's Pixel line of phones is Live Translate. This adds real-time, two-way translation to the Galaxy S24 phone. Live Translate works within voice calls and text translations, making it ideal for international trips and traveling.

4. Transcript Assist

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus AI summarize
June Wan/ZDNET

For those who depend on voice memos, Transcript Assist will be there to help transcribe, translate, and even summarize voice memos. You can customize how the summaries are presented, and all of this is done on-device, meaning an internet connection is not required.

5. Chat Assist

If you ever struggle with phrasing a message appropriately, whether it's in a formal or more casual setting, Chat Assist can help you. The feature appears when you're in a text-based service like email, social media, or Messages, and will offer different tonalities to what you're writing.

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