Galaxy Unpacked 2024! Everything Revealed at the Event!

“Galaxy believes the next big thing…is you.”

That’s the overall slogan that kicks off this year’s Galaxy Unpacked event, which started at around 2:00 AM here in the Philippines. Galaxy AI was pretty much the star of the show, to the point that we can’t help but feel like the Galaxy S24 smartphones are just the vehicles by which these features are delivered.

But let’s not stand on ceremony. Here’s the primary highlights we’ve gathered from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked presentation and Galaxy AI:

Galaxy S24: Your Eureka Moment!

Details regarding the Galaxy S24 smartphones were announced in the middle of the presentation but let’s start with it here. Both the Galaxy S24 and S24+ are similar in terms of physical proportions and feel to their predecessors but this time, with thinner bezels, flatter frames, and matte colors.

Samsung did make big upgrades on the phone’s displays though, with their Dynamic AMOLED screens now reaching up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness, and the S24+ being upgraded to a Quad HD+ panel, as per the initial leaks.

Battery’s a lot bigger too, with the S24 packing a 4,000mAh battery while the S24+ gets a 4,900mAh battery, which should hopefully lead to some big efficiency gains when paired with variable refresh as well as the new Snapdragon and Exynos chips. The S24 still caps out at 25W charging though, with the 45W being reserved for the S24+ and S24 Ultra. Bummer.

Camera setup is the same as the Galaxy S23 with a 50 MP main camera, a 10 MP telephoto with 3x Zoom, and a 12 MP ultrawide and selfie camera. But now, you get AI features like a Magic Editor.

There’s a little damper on the otherwise exciting round of announcements though. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra is compatible with WiFi 7, neither the Exynos nor the Snapdragon variants of the S24 and S24+ are. Granted, WiFi 7 isn’t exactly widespread yet but we think this is still something to keep in mind.

Summary of differences between the Galaxy S24 and S24+:

The Galaxy S24 starts at PHP 53,990 for 8GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage while the S24+ starts at PHP 68,990 for the same options.

7 years of security and OS upgrades!

Okay, this one’s big for those who really use their phones for a long time. According to TM Roh, president of Samsung’s mobile division, the S24 line is eligible for 7 years of security updates AND OS upgrades. Meaning, you’ll be updated all the way to Android 21 (provided Google retains its number-based naming scheme).

That’s now longer than what Apple is currently offering with its iPhones (5 major updates) and on par with Google’s 7 years of support for the Pixel 8 line.

Of course, you’ll still have to keep in things like battery deterioration as well as general wear and tear from daily use. But if you’re a particularly careful user, we think this will help you save more without compromising on the latest software features and security in the long term!

Time will tell if this will trickle down to any new midrange and budget phones coming out later in the year as well.

Everyone gets an AI!

And by everyone, we mean apps. Based on what we saw from the event, Galaxy AI does cover quite a lot of functions in these new devices. But to summarize: Anytime you see the AI icon (a little icon made of stars), that App can get AI assistance. For example, let’s take the Live Translation in the default Calls app.

Whenever you make or receive a call with someone speaking a different language (e.g. Korean), the S24 can immediately translate what they’re saying to a language of your choosing, like English, both verbally and on-screen in real time.

You’ll have to download different language packs (currently has 13 languages at launch) to use this of course but the upside is, these will enable the feature to work even while you’re offline. It’s like having your own personal interpreter during calls basically. It all happens on your device too, which is handy for privacy-minded individuals.

And yes, the translation will work regardless of what phone the other person is using. Even a landline phone, so long one of you is using a device with this feature.

There’s plenty of other features mentioned too, including direct translation via Samsung Keyboard, different tone suggestions during chat, “Photomoji” which turns parts of your photo into an emote, automatic summaries for the Notes App, helping get the key points of anything you’ve written on the spot, and many more!

We’ll definitely explore more of these functions once we’re able to get these latest smartphones in-store.

Circle to Search: A new way to search with AI

Oh, there’s also this cool “Circle to Search” feature they’ve added with the help of Google Gemini. Basically, if you come across something in your app or while browsing (whether it’s a picture or a name), you can simply encircle or highlight it with the S-pen or your finger and Google will immediately search what you just selected without disrupting your current session.

Simply long press the hold button in order to activate the feature and swipe away when you’re done. Easy and convenient right? No need to move in-between apps during the process.

And yes, the feature works for both pictures and texts as well, including messages. The feature will be available on all three models of the S24 series. Google even has a little aside about the feature being “only on Android”. Cheeky.

Galaxy Ring: It exists!

Alright, we did see the Galaxy Ring. It was teased as part of Samsung’s big presentation on health and wellness, as well as the role it plays in the Galaxy ecosystem. However, details are still a bit sparse on possible functions, sensors, sizes, and availability.

For now, we know that it’s a thing, and that it’s coming soon. The presentation was more focused on the improved insights brought by their shiny new Galaxy AI, showcasing health trackers, sleep scores, and even routine optimizations.

For now, we know that it’s a thing, and that it’s coming soon. The presentation was more focused on the improved insights brought by their shiny new Galaxy AI, showcasing health trackers, sleep scores, and even routine optimizations.

AI functions will come to the S23 line, the S23 FE, the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 in the first half of 2024

But wait! Perhaps you’re already on last year’s Galaxy S23 or either of last year’s Galaxy foldables. Maybe even the more budget-oriented but still flagship Galaxy S23 FE? They’re perfectly good phones after all.

Well, good news. It’s announced that all of these new AI functions will eventually make their way to those devices mentioned sometime in the first half of 2024. Personally, we think this is great especially for those who’ve purchased the spectacular Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5.

Whew, I think that’s everything we’ve been able to spot from the event. We’ll be taking a closer look at the other phone features in our writeup of the Galaxy S24 Ultra later on. We hope you enjoyed the watchalong and please, stay tuned for announcements regarding pricing and orders for the S24 line here at your most trusted online gadget store!

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