Although this year’s CES has ended, there is still plenty left to come this month, including the much-anticipated Samsung Unpacked event next week. So, what is the Korean tech giant expected to announce?
Samsung’s upcoming Unpacked, the name the company gives its events that can happen a few times per year and is where the company reveals new smartphones and occasionally other exciting products, is happening on January 17 at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST), and, as always, the rumor mill has been churning.
Given the timing of prior year’s release and the focus of currently available materials (such as an emphasis on mobile), it’s as good a bet as any that Samsung will announce the Galaxy S24 series of smartphones, which will likely include the Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra, following Samsung’s typical pattern of two different “base” smartphones and a flagship “Ultra” handheld.
As for what features these phones will include, a lot less is known. However, on Samsung’s website, the company allows customers to “reserve” a new device, and this reservation page has three short videos that say, “Zoom with Galaxy AI is coming.”
One of these teasers may be suggestive of generative artificial intelligence coming to Galaxy, with a woman expanding the size of a teddy bear with a gesture. It could also be that the devices will use AI to upscale images and double down on one of Galaxy’s most noteworthy features, extreme zoom. This would be in line with a major focus of Samsung’s presence at CES, which included a heavy emphasis on AI-powered upscaling technology.
AI was a big topic at CES this year, and will seemingly be a significant part of Samsung’s event next week, as another of Samsung’s teaser videos goes all-in on AI.
If leaked specs are to be given any credence, the S24 family may be more iterative than revolutionary regarding the actual hardware (like the displays and cameras). However, even if the smartphones sport the same sensors as their predecessors, which is far from certain, improved processing power and better AI image processing could dramatically change the performance of the cameras.
While new hardware often receives more attention and delivers grabbier headlines, the software does much of the heaviest lifting when it comes to mobile devices; it plays a vital role in a smartphone’s photo and video quality. The teased “Galaxy AI” may completely transform the Galaxy series, even if the S24 series phones wind up looking quite similar to last year’s S23 on paper.
With Apple’s impressive iPhone 15, Google’s great Pixel 8 devices, and all the other awesome handhelds hitting store shelves lately, Samsung has stiff competition. Will AI turn the tide?
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.