Samsung Unveils the Future With the Galaxy S24
The future of smartphones is here. Samsung has done it again with the reveal of their latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S24. This powerhouse device packs some of the most advanced technology we’ve seen yet into a slick, ultra-premium body.
At Samsung’s recent Unpacked event in San Francisco, they gave us a tantalizing first look at the S24 and all it has to offer. From upgraded cameras to increased battery life and some seriously smart software, Samsung is bringing their A-game. They promised this would be their most impressive phone ever, and from what we’ve seen so far, they weren’t exaggerating.
If you want a phone that can do it all, and then some, the Galaxy S24 is shaping up to be the clear choice. Samsung is leading the way into the future with their newest crown jewel that proves innovation never sleeps. Keep reading to find out everything we know so far about Samsung’s brilliant new smartphone.
Overview of the Galaxy S24
The Galaxy S24 is Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone. It features a sleek, all-screen design with minimal bezels and no visible front-facing camera.
The S24 sports a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. The screen features a variable 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and animations. It also has a peak brightness of 1750 nits for excellent outdoor visibility.
Under the hood, the S24 is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, along with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. It packs a huge 5000mAh battery with support for 65W wired fast charging.
For photography, the Galaxy S24 has a triple camera setup on the back with a main 108MP camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The front-facing camera is 32MP.
The S24 runs Android 13 out of the box with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 on top. It will receive 4 years of major Android OS and security updates. Extra features include an in-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP68 water resistance, stereo speakers, and S Pen support on some models.
Highlight the AI Capabilities
Samsung’s new Exynos processor in the Galaxy S24 contains a dedicated AI engine that enables powerful on-device AI capabilities. This AI engine can process massive amounts of data right on the phone, allowing for features like enhanced photography, adaptive battery management, and a more natural voice assistant experience.
For photography, the AI engine applies scene optimization to automatically adjust the camera settings to capture the best possible photos. It can recognize up to 30 different scenes such as food, pets, landscapes, and more. The AI also applies intelligent enhancements during image processing to improve details, colors, and lighting in photos. Portrait mode now has improved edge detection and selective background blur courtesy of the AI engine.
The Galaxy S24’s AI voice assistant, Bixby, also benefits from the on-device processing power. Bixby can understand natural language better and provide faster, more relevant responses. Users can have more natural conversations without strictly needing to follow limited voice commands. Bixby also leverages the AI to learn the user’s preferences and usage patterns over time to provide personalized recommendations and suggestions.
Adaptive battery management is another key AI capability. The AI engine analyzes the user’s app usage patterns and sleeping/charging habits to optimize battery life. Essential apps and features are prioritized, while battery intensive activities are moderated to prevent excessive drain. The Galaxy S24 can learn the user’s behavior and tailor the battery settings specifically for them.
By integrating powerful AI processing directly into the phone, Samsung has enabled the Galaxy S24 to deliver intuitive, helpful features that improve with use. The AI engine unlocks capabilities that simply weren’t possible before on a smartphone.
Camera Upgrades – AI Takes Mobile Photography to New Heights
Samsung has made major upgrades to the Galaxy S24’s camera system, leveraging advanced AI to take mobile photography to new heights. The rear camera array features a massive 200MP main sensor, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a new depth vision camera for augmented reality applications.
But it’s the AI capabilities that really set the S24’s cameras apart. The phone uses AI Scene Optimization to intelligently enhance color, contrast, and lighting based on what’s in the frame. For portraits, an AI Portrait Mode can artistically blur backgrounds to make subjects pop. The AI Camera Assistant provides real-time recommendations to help users compose shots and guide them through pro camera settings.
Samsung’s new AI Video Stabilization utilizes the depth vision camera to steady videos for gimbal-like smoothness, even with the front-facing selfie camera. Nightography mode leverages AI to deliver stunning low light shots. The Galaxy S24’s advanced camera system shows that with the help of artificial intelligence, the future of mobile photography is here.
Battery and Charging
The Galaxy S24 comes equipped with a sizable 5000 mAh battery, a boost over the 4500 mAh battery in last year’s S23 model. This should provide all-day battery life for most users, even with the power demands of the new AI features.
For charging, Samsung has included support for ultra-fast wired charging up to 45W. This allows the S24 to charge from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes. There’s also fast 15W wireless charging for cable-free convenience. While not the fastest charging speeds available, it’s a notable upgrade over previous Galaxy S devices and should provide sufficient charging speed for most users.
Reverse wireless charging is another returning feature, allowing the S24 to wirelessly charge other devices like smartphones or earbuds simply by placing them on the back. This isn’t the fastest way to charge accessories, but provides a handy option when you need just a bit of extra juice in a pinch.
Overall, the combination of a large battery and fast wired and wireless charging should keep the Galaxy S24 powered up throughout the day and minimize downtime spent plugged into a charger. This will allow users to take full advantage of power-hungry AI features like advanced photography and on-device processing.
Display and Design
The Galaxy S24 sports an impressive display that represents Samsung’s continued dedication to innovation and craftsmanship. It features a huge 7.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a QHD+ resolution of 3200 x 1440 and a pixel density of 525 ppi.
Despite the massive screen, the phone still feels sleek and compact thanks to the virtually bezel-less Infinity-O design. The display stretches edge-to-edge on all sides with only a small centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.
Samsung has equipped the S24 with their latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for maximum durability and scratch resistance. The glass curves elegantly along the edges of the phone, meeting the aluminum alloy frame for a seamless finish.
At just 5.9mm thin, the Galaxy S24 is incredibly slim. Combined with the lightweight build at just 168g, the phone is a marvel of engineering that feels comfortable and natural to hold. The rear glass has a luxurious matte texture that minimizes fingerprints.
Overall, the S24 sets a new standard for premium design with its massive high-resolution display, thin and light construction, and sleek yet durable materials. The display spans the entire front of the phone, interrupted only by a tiny camera cutout, for a truly immersive viewing experience whether gaming, watching videos, or multitasking.
Performance
Samsung has packed the Galaxy S24 with cutting-edge performance features to make it the fastest and most powerful Galaxy yet. At the heart of the S24 is the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which delivers up to 35% faster CPU performance and up to 41% faster GPU performance compared to the previous generation.
The S24 comes equipped with either 8GB or 12GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking and quick app launching speeds. For storage, you get 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 built-in storage. The UFS 4.0 storage is 2x faster than UFS 3.1 in the S23 series, which further boosts the phone’s responsiveness.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, abundant RAM options, and blazing-fast UFS 4.0 storage, the Galaxy S24 is a true speed demon that can handle demanding apps and gaming with ease. The powerful hardware ensures you get desktop-level performance in the palm of your hand.
Software Features
The Galaxy S24 comes with the latest version of Android and Samsung’s own One UI interface. Some of the key software features include:
- Android 13 – The S24 launches with the newest version of Android out of the box. Android 13 includes improvements to privacy controls, customization options, notifications, multi-tasking, and more.
- One UI 5 – Samsung’s own software layer adds extra features and customization options on top of stock Android. One UI 5 enhances the look and feel while keeping Android 13’s clean aesthetics.
- Bixby – Samsung’s voice assistant can handle voice commands and tasks like setting reminders, controlling smart home devices, getting answers with Bixby Vision, and more.
- Samsung Pay – The built-in mobile payment system lets you make purchases securely with NFC terminals or via QR codes. It works with Samsung Knox security to keep payment info private.
- Samsung Health – Track your activity, workouts, sleep patterns, and more. It can sync with devices like Galaxy watches and fitness trackers.
- Samsung Pass – Use biometric authentication like fingerprints or face unlock to securely log into apps, sites, and services instead of passwords.
- SmartThings – Control any compatible smart home devices like lights, thermostats, locks, and more right from your phone.
The Galaxy S24 comes preloaded with Samsung’s own apps for mail, calendar, contacts, internet, and more. Popular 3rd party apps like Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, and Microsoft Office are also pre-installed. Overall, the software experience balances Samsung’s innovations with Google’s core Android features and apps.
Other Features
The Galaxy S24 comes with several other noteworthy features beyond the headline upgrades.
- Water Resistance – Like previous Galaxy S models, the S24 is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance. It can withstand being submerged in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes.
- New Color Options – The S24 comes in five new color options: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Lavender, and Cream. The Phantom colors have a unique glossy and iridescent finish.
- Enhanced Security – The fingerprint sensor is now under the display for a smoother look. Face recognition has also been upgraded with a new 3D depth sensing camera for more secure facial authentication.
- More Sensors – There is the addition of a new temperature sensor to enable advanced health monitoring capabilities. The S24 also has an improved gyroscope and barometer.
Pricing and Availability
Samsung has not officially announced pricing or availability for the Galaxy S24 yet. However, based on previous Galaxy S smartphone launches, we can make some educated guesses.
The Galaxy S23 launched at a starting price of $799 for the base 128GB model. The Galaxy S22 also launched at $799, while the S21 was $100 cheaper at $699. Given these precedents, it’s likely the Galaxy S24 will start around $799 for a 128GB model. Higher storage capacities like 256GB or 512GB will likely cost $100-200 more.
For availability, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy phones usually launch in February or March. The Galaxy S23 launched on February 17, 2023. The S22 and S21 both launched in January of their respective launch years.
We can expect the Galaxy S24 to become available for pre-order shortly after its official announcement, likely in February or March 2024. The phone will then hit retail shelves around 1-2 weeks after pre-orders open.
In the US, the major carriers Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and unlocked models directly from Samsung will all sell the Galaxy S24. Availability in other countries will vary.
Pricing for the Galaxy S24 is expected to be in line with last year’s models. The smartphone will likely launch in late Q1 or early Q2 2024. It will be sold through all major US carriers. Exact details will be confirmed at Samsung’s official announcement event.
