Qualcomm and Google power up Samsung’s generative AI smartphone

• The Samsung Galaxy S24 series will be the phonemaker’s first devices with generative AI
• The features of the new mobile devices include Circle to Search by Google. 
• The device is powered by Qualcomm’s premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform.

Generative AI smartphones are expected to be a game-changer for the industry. Not only will these mobile devices become more efficient in completing various tasks, generative AI smartphones will also most likely bring mobile communications to a whole new level.

Google unveiled the world’s first smartphone to run on Gemini Nano late last year. The Pixel 8 Pro is the first smartphone with generative AI built into it. The device is currently running on Google’s Gemini Nano, with more AI updates and features expected to be unveiled in future models.

While the Pixel 8 Pro may be the first smartphone with built-in generative AI, it may not be the most popular mobile device globally. In fact, according to a study by Counterpoint Research, 2024 will be pivotal for generative AI smartphones, with preliminary data projecting their shipments to reach over 100 million units. By 2027, Counterpoint Research predicts generative AI smartphone shipments to reach 522 million units, growing at a CAGR of 83%.

Leading the adoption of generative AI smartphones will be Samsung. The research predicts Samsung to capture almost 50% of the market share over the next two years, just as it did with foldable devices. Chinese devicemakers like Xiaomi, Vivo, Honor and Oppo will also be key players in the market.

Samsung S24: the generative AI smartphone

Samsung has unveiled three new mobile devices that have generative AI capabilities. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 unleash new mobile experiences with Galaxy AI. The Galaxy S series leads the way into a new era that will forever change how mobile devices empower users.

“The Galaxy S24 series transforms our connection with the world and ignites the next decade of mobile innovation,” said TM Roh, president and head of mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Galaxy AI is built on our innovation heritage and deep understanding of how people use their phones. We’re excited to see how our users around the world empower their everyday lives with Galaxy AI to open up new possibilities.”

Galaxy AI in these new mobile devices allows users to experience new features. This includes live translations and interpretations for both voice and text, a chat assistant to help perfect conversational tones to ensure communication sounds as it was intended as well as note and transcript assist which is capable of producing AI-generated summaries, template creation that streamlines notes with pre-made formats and cover creation to make notes easy to spot with a brief preview.

The AI built into Samsung Keyboard can also translate messages in real-time in 13 languages. In the car, Android Auto will automatically summarize incoming messages and suggest relevant replies and actions, like sending someone an ETA, so users can stay connected while staying focused on the road.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is also the first phone to debut intuitive, gesture-driven Circle to Search with Google. With a long press on the home button, users can circle, highlight, scribble on or tap anything on Galaxy S24’s screen to see helpful, high-quality search results.

The technology empowering the Samsung Galaxy S24

In order to run generative AI in a smartphone, the device would need to have hardware that is capable of supporting the heavy processing demands of AI. As such, the Samsung Galaxy S24 will be using Qualcomm’s premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform.

“Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy instills its advanced AI capabilities in the Galaxy S24 series, to enable new experiences with AI features to empower users’ everyday life. It also fuels advanced professional-quality camera, gaming experiences and ultra-fast connectivity including Wi-Fi 7, while offering one of the most reliable authentication solutions available with our Qualcomm 3D Sonic Gen 2 technology,” commented Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handset, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“Our strategic partnership with Qualcomm Technologies spans more than two decades, which speaks volumes for our strong relationship. They are at the forefront of the mobile industry, and now of on-device intelligence – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy sets the bar for premium mobile and Gen AI experiences. With the flagship Galaxy S24 series, Qualcomm and Samsung will provide consumers with the most premium and advanced mobile experiences to date, with Galaxy AI,” said Inkang Song, VP & head of the technology strategy team at Samsung Mobile.

Apart from the partnership with Qualcomm, Samsung is also partnering with Google for its generative AI features. Specifically, the new Galaxy S24 will be leveraging Google Gemini Nano. Gemini Nano is Google’s most efficient large-language model. Samsung will also get access to Gemini Pro and Imagen 2 text-to-image tech. The Google deal will also make Samsung one of the first companies to test Gemini Ultra, the search engine giant’s most capable and largest large-language model.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 could be Samsung’s hope to regain the top position in the market share. Apple’s iPhone dethroned the Samsung Galaxy to become the best-selling smartphone series globally, marking a notable shift in the industry’s competitive landscape. in IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the iPhone accounted for a substantial fifth of the global smartphone market, with nearly 235 million shipments in the past year. 

“The last time a company not named Samsung was at the top of the smartphone market was in 2010, and for 2023, it is now Apple. The shifting of power at the top of the largest consumer electronics market was driven by Apple’s all-time high market share and a first time at the top,” IDC’s report stated

In the fourth quarter of 2023, Samsung not only lost market share to Apple but also to Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Transsion, with global shipments falling to 53 million units from nearly 60 million a year earlier.

While it remains to be seen how much of an impact the Samsung S24 will have on the company’s performance, the new features in the mobile phone definitely bring the device to a whole new level.

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