Samsung’s Galaxy S24, S24 Plus and S24 Ultra are expected to launch tomorrow loaded with new AI-powered features. Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event will take place Jan. 17, which means new devices will likely be released shortly thereafter.
Just days ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, the International Data Corporation shared that, for the first time ever, Apple shipped more phones than Samsung in the previous year. IDC’s preliminary data indicates that in 2023 Apple shipped 234.6 million phones compared with Samsung, which shipped 226.6 million. The last time Samsung wasn’t the leader in phone shipments was 2010. This kind of role-reversal between Apple and Samsung adds more importance to Wednesday’s event and the launch of the Galaxy S24 series.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Live Blog: Awaiting the Galaxy S24
Samsung faces huge competition from the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, which feature a range of upgrades, from new camera systems to fancy titanium bodies on the Pro models. Then there’s Google’s Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, which include new AI photo editing tools among other fresh upgrades.
But Samsung’s phones are always powerhouses, and we’re super excited to see what the mobile giant will come up with. We’ve sifted through the rumor mill to try to figure out just what Samsung’s next superphones will offer, when they’ll be announced and how much they might cost.
All rumors should be taken with a pinch of salt. And they’re unlikely to stop rolling in, so we’ll keep this article updated as we hear more.
When will the Samsung Galaxy S24 launch?
Although Samsung’s January launch is slightly earlier than its typical February time frame, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise since Korean news outlets SBS Biz and The Elec previously reported that announcement date.
How much will the Galaxy S24 cost?
There aren’t any firm details on pricing, but we don’t expect any significant changes from the S23 lineup. For reference, the base S23 model starts at $800, the Plus at $1,000 and the Ultra at $1,200. The Galaxy S lineup has different models for people shopping on different budgets and it’s a tactic Samsung has used for most generations of its phones.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 both maintained their prices from the previous year, so it doesn’t generally appear that Samsung is looking to shake up its pricing strategy.
What will be the biggest new feature in the Galaxy S24 series?
We won’t know for sure until Samsung announces the Galaxy S24 lineup. But considering the company is already teasing its new AI technologies, we can likely expect new AI-powered features to be a major focus in the Galaxy S24.
Samsung recently announced Galaxy AI, which it describes as an “AI experience” for phones coming early in 2024. The company hasn’t said much about what Galaxy AI will entail, but did provide one example: translating phone calls. Galaxy AI will make it possible to translate audio and text between languages from the native phone app in real time, according to the company’s press release.
AI will also likely play a big role in the Galaxy S24’s camera, especially for the S24 Ultra. A well-known leaker who goes by the alias Ice Universe on X (formerly Twitter) says the 200-megapixel camera mode will use AI to identify up to a dozen types of objects and optimize the shot accordingly. This feature would likely be exclusive to the Ultra model, since that’s the only phone in Samsung’s current lineup with a 200-megapixel sensor.
Samsung also revealed its own generative AI model called Gauss in November, which consists of three parts: Gauss Language, Gauss Code and Gauss Image. The language portion was designed for tasks like summarizing documents and translation, while Gauss Image is for modifying and generating images.
Given these announcements, it’s hard to imagine Galaxy AI and Gauss not playing a large role in the Galaxy S24 family.
Will there be multiple Galaxy S24 versions?
Almost certainly, yes. As mentioned, the multiple models strategy is one that Samsung has used for some time, and all current rumors suggest the company will launch at least two versions of the S24: a base model and an Ultra version. Some industry analysts have suggested that the Plus model might be scrapped to create more separation between the base and Ultra, but other sources disagree.