Every product update from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked Event 2024: S24 lineup, Galaxy AI and others
For those who couldn't catch the keynote and would and prefer a quick recap without delving into the hour-long stream, here's a concise summary of the highlights from today's Samsung Unpacked event.
Amidst eager anticipation, Samsung, the South Korean smartphone giant, has officially launched its highly awaited Galaxy S24 lineup at the prestigious Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, California, USA today.
The annual January event unveiled its three latest models: Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra, each promising novel mobile experiences driven by the power of advanced Galaxy AI.
Although the leaked visuals may have prepared you for the lineup's design similarities to its S23 predecessors (let's be honest, even iPhones have had the same design for years), the software enhancements introduced during the event genuinely impressed me, but maybe that just me being the Samsung fanatic that I am.
For those who couldn't catch the keynote and would and prefer a quick recap without delving into the hour-long stream, here's a concise summary of the highlights from today's Samsung Unpacked event.
Design enhancements ⚙️
- Build
In terms of build, the top model, Galaxy S24 Ultra upgrades to a titanium frame, a first-ever for a Galaxy phone (following the iPhone 15 Pro's lead), enhancing both durability and longevity. This gives it a significantly thinner body that contributes to the phone's overall aesthetics. It comes in colours including Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow
On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ feature a streamlined One-mass design with an Armor Aluminum frame, achieving a seamless connection between the rear cover and side frame. They also feature larger 4,000mAh and 4,900mAh batteries (just below the Ultra's 5000mAh) respectively. Colour options for these models include Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow, with additional online-only colours.
- Camera
In the camera department, the base S24 and the larger S24 Plus maintain similar cameras to their predecessors, meanwhile, the S24 Ultra introduces a significant upgrade with a new 5x optical zoom lens, replacing the previous 10x optical zoom. The Ultra's camera setup includes a 200MP primary lens, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, a 12MP ultrawide, and a new 50MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom.
The lineup's Expert RAW, Night Photography, and AI-powered features further elevate its imaging prowess, reinforcing Samsung's leadership in mobile photography.
- Chipset
The Galaxy S24 series is set to improve its performance with its enhancements to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. This optimized chipset delivers remarkable NPU improvement for efficient AI processing. Overall, a 93% larger vapour chamber coupled with a 1-120 Hz adaptive refresh rate and improved gaming features, makes the Galaxy S24 a powerhouse for gaming and multitasking.
- Display
The Ultra device also comes with a flat 6.8-inch AMOLED display with LTPO technology, a departure from the curved display seen on the previous versions, while the Galaxy S24 sports a 6.2-inch display, and the Galaxy S24+ boasts a 6.7-inch display. The Galaxy S24+ will now support the same QHD+ level found in the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The entire lineup is equipped with Samsung's brightest Galaxy display ever, reaching a peak brightness of 2,600nit and featuring Vision Booster for improved outdoor visibility.
Software enhancements 🧑🏼💻
Under the hood, the Galaxy devices introduce an on-device generative AI, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Samsung's Galaxy AI, blending on-device and cloud-based capabilities, introduces a slew of AI features like :
- Live Translation: a revolutionary feature facilitating two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls within the native app.
- Chat Assist: helps to tailor your messaging tone with AI suggestions, enhancing the user's conversational experience
- Circle to Search: a new AI-powered experience in collaboration with Google that lets users easily search photos without closing or switching apps.
- Enhanced Photo Capabilities: streamlining the photo editing process and creating slow-motion videos by generating frames.
Samsung included other intelligent software features that resonate with modern needs including Samsung Health Upgrades bringing improvements to sleep tracking and health measurements. The lineup will also get 7 years of Android and security software updates - thanks Google!
Pricing and Availability 💵
Samsung has maintained competitive pricing for the Galaxy S24 series, with the S24 starting at $800, the S24 Plus at $1,000, and the premium S24 Ultra at $1,300. The company has also strategically adjusted the prices of its previous models, offering the Galaxy S23 at $700 and the Galaxy S23 FE at $600.
Samsung Galaxy Ring ⭕
In a surprise announcement, Samsung teased its upcoming wearable, adding to its lineup of wearables. Although Samsung remained tight-lipped about the specifics, the next wearable is set to launch later this year into a market currently dominated by the popular Oura Ring.
Conclusion
As the dust settles from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, the tech giant has once again dazzled us with its latest iteration of its slab phones. While the incremental adjustments may not be enough to sway every user, the Galaxy S24 series introduces compelling features that could serve as a persuasive nudge for those considering an upgrade.
Also, Samsung's pricing strategy does offer competitive rates with other flagships out there, which prompts the question: Are you upgrading to the S24 series? If yes, which of the models are you copping?
