As a rule, when an expensive flagship phone is released, there is more talk about cameras or long battery life. Things are quite different with the new Samsung Galaxy S24 phones released in mid-January, because there was a lot of talk about new generative AI features. This seems to be a trend for the coming years, it seems that Apple is also working hard in the field of artificial intelligence, and the big question is: will people buy expensive phones motivated by the promise of useful AI applications?

When the smartphone will become even “smarter”

A variety of artificial intelligence software has been present on smartphones for several years, whether it’s image-altering software or virtual assistants from Google or Apple. But the frenzy caused by the success of ChatGPT opens a new chapter of high-performance and creative artificial intelligence – generative AI – also in the field of smartphones.

Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on generating or generating new content, such as images, music or text, using machine learning algorithms and models.

Smartphones hardly change from one generation to another, and some changes, especially in design, are minimal, because if they were radical from year to year, the costs would be high and there is a risk of upsetting potential customers or fans of the brand. “The battery lasts X hours longer”, “the main camera has a Y MP sensor”, “the Z phone is the thinnest in the world”, “the glass is incredibly strong”, “the processor is 20% faster” – these are some of the things that manufacturers report , when talking about new “flagship” models.

Manufacturers are looking for ways to attract customers and stand out from the competition, and the success of artificial intelligence and the excitement caused by ChatGPT among the public is a good opportunity to test the reaction of a public that is “thirsty” for “trendy” phones.

During the presentation of the Galaxy S24 in mid-January, Samsung did not talk about new cameras, batteries or design, but about new generative AI functions of the phones, which, depending on the model and memory version, cost from 4,200 lei (simple S24 with 128 GB) and reach 8000 lei (for 1 TB S24 Ultra).

A new era of generative AI on phones

More than ever before with the launch of the Galaxy S, Samsung has paid a lot of attention to applications with artificial intelligence, which can be used for photo editing, real-time translation or fast web searches, among other things. Samsung has launched an artificial intelligence platform and promises many useful applications, not just for entertainment. Some can also be used without an internet connection, which is great.

Samsung’s phones have had various AI applications over the years, but the company is promising something “fundamentally different” with these AI language models.

One example is Circle to Search, which lets you take pictures of real things to instantly learn more about the objects you circle on your phone. You will immediately go to Google results.

Another AI application is the real-time translation of phone conversations, an application that is available in 13 languages, and Samsung promises that it will be in Romanian in the future. The idea is particularly interesting because it can translate written conversations in apps like WhatsApp or Messenger in real time, making it easier to communicate with people who would otherwise be more difficult to communicate with.

The Galaxy S24 also has a photo editing suggestions feature, essentially a feature that gives you ideas on what you can change in an image to make it more “Instagrammable” for example. There is also a “creative editing” feature where you can move objects or people in the image, and the empty space left in the image after the element is moved is automatically “filled” by the AI ​​software with elements created from scratch. You can resize the people in the image or the buildings, and then the AI ​​will place the background accordingly.

Much of this AI functionality was developed by Google. He put some first and tested them on Pixel phones, models that, however, have a small market share. Others are currently debuting on the S24 series.

Samsung, with the help of artificial intelligence programs developed by Google as well as its own, wants to try to compete more effectively with Apple, a company that has gained a lot of ground in the last year and had a fantastically good last quarter in 2023. This is a demonstration of courage on the part of Samsung to make such a bet in communication on new “packages” of generative AI applications. If it works, sales will go well and Samsung will have an 8-9 month lead over Apple, which can communicate a lot in the area of ​​AI applications in the new iPhones.

And Apple will enter the game, but not before the end of 2024

It’s clear that other brands will follow the idea of ​​generative AI apps that are fun but useful at the same time. The international press wrote that Apple is working hard to develop some AI functions, in recent years it has bought several companies to have the necessary people and technology, and the first results can be seen in the next generation of the iOS operating system. system. Announcements in this regard may appear at the big annual developer conference in June.

Apple is generally very tight-lipped about its plans and hasn’t talked much about AI compared to Google, Microsoft or Amazon. Sources cited by the Financial Times say Apple wants to put generative AI apps on the iPhone, but they want chatbots and other similar apps to run on the phone’s software and hardware, rather than relying on cloud services from processing centers data

The Siri voice assistant in particular will receive, sources say, a significant update, so it will respond much more accurately to more requests. Siri is in need of a serious upgrade, and new developments in AI bring the perfect moment for a “leap” in quality.

In search of a “beastly” application of Generative AI

A large number of those who get a phone for more than €1,000 don’t use many of the features available on it, just as many who have Note phones rarely get their hands on a stylus. Similarly, most people use the Auto mode for photos, and only the patient and enthusiastic have the time and desire to “scroll” through the settings menu in the camera program.

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially since cameras have improved so much that users don’t even need to use all the options on newer phones.

The segment of phones above €600, as well as super-premium, above €1,000, also grew strongly in Romania. More than 1.2 billion smartphones are bought worldwide annually, but volumes have been falling for years, with Romanians buying around 3.5 million smartphones of all brands annually.

It is estimated that 100 million phones with generative AI features will be sold worldwide this year, and the number will increase every year.

Samsung’s estimates in Romania show that the country’s premium phone market could grow by 15-20% this year, including phones costing more than €600. There is a strong possibility that the total market for premium phones will exceed one million units in the premiere, which means that more than a quarter of the phones sold in the country (all brands) will be premium (shelf price above 600 euros). ).

It should not be forgotten that people keep their phones longer and change them almost every three years, which is helped not only by the arguments related to the high price, but also by the fact that the phones are of good quality and the software can be updated within days. years

Will these generative AI applications be one of the main factors in buying a phone, along with price, brand, cameras and color? They probably won’t be in the top three reasons to buy a top-of-the-line phone in the coming months, but their weight will increase, especially if users find instant translation apps or software that automatically injects various useful elements into a photo.

For example, functions that allow you to quickly move various elements in the picture will be successful. Much of the modification may have been done over the years with the help of specialized programs, but few people have the time and skill to spend a long time on it. If it becomes even easier to make various edits, many users will want to apply them.

These generative AI apps for phones are still in their infancy, and manufacturers are looking for a so-called “killer app,” an app that’s so great and so successful that it makes people say, “I’m taking my X phone to use this app, too!” .

It would also make a big difference if a number of AI features were integrated into the phone so that it works very well when there is little or no signal in more isolated areas

It also remains to be seen whether some companies will decide in 2-3 years that some of the new AI applications that are currently free will be paid. This issue is also being discussed regarding the applications offered by Samsung. The introduction of “paid access” would be a very unpleasant message for customers who will be used to some applications by then. However, this would not be something new, we should not forget that storage in Google Photos was free for many years, until the summer of 2021.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, The Verge, PC World, Ars Techinca, BBC, CNET, Reuters