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Samsung Unpacked 2024: Key Product Announcements
The hotly anticipated Galaxy Unpacked event showed off the company’s premium new smartphones for the first time, and revealed an unexpected new wearable.
South Korean tech giant Samsung has started 2024 by unveiling the Galaxy S24 series at the highly anticipated Galaxy Unpacked event. The new smartphones come equipped with on-device generative AI, enhanced specifications, and upgraded camera capabilities.
As customary for Samsung’s early-year events, the S24 flagship phones took center stage. This year, the spotlight was on generative AI, a technology that has gained prominence with the arrival of ChatGPT, Google Bard and more. The Galaxy S24 series is among the first phones to launch with Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which features on-device generative AI capabilities.
The S24 series combines on-device and cloud-based generative AI, referred to as Galaxy AI, to deliver a range of innovative features. Some of these features, like live translation and text message tone suggestions, may sound familiar, while others, such as converting regular-speed videos into slow-motion by generating extra frames, are entirely new.
The top-tier model in the S24 series, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, has received substantial upgrades. It now boasts a titanium body, a 50-megapixel 5x optical camera for sharper distance photography (replacing the 10-megapixel 10x optical zoom camera), and comes with 12GB of RAM.
The standard S24 and S24+ models have fewer upgrades, with slightly larger screens and improved resolutions compared to their predecessors. The S24+ now shares the same Quad HD Plus resolution display as the S24 Ultra. Battery capacities have also increased slightly.
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Samsung has also stepped up efforts to incorporate more recycled materials in the devices, including using cobalt in batteries and rare earth elements in speakers. Notably, Galaxy S24 phones will now receive seven years of Android and security updates, extending their lifespan into 2031.
Towards the end of the event, Samsung unveiled upcoming enhancements to Samsung Health, particularly in the realm of sleep tracking and other health metrics. The event’s climax was the surprise announcement of the Galaxy Ring, a device expected to be equipped with various sensors for continuous health monitoring throughout the day.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Pricing
Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S24 starts at $800, the S24+ begins at $1,000, and the S24 Ultra will set enthusiasts back $1,300. Prices are in line with last year’s models, with the increase in the S24 Ultra attributed to the use of more durable materials.
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Samsung Smart Glasses Teased For January, Software Reveal Imminent
According to Korean sources, the new wearable will launch alongside the Galaxy S25, with the accompanying software platform unveiled this December.
Samsung appears poised to introduce its highly anticipated smart glasses in January 2025, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25. According to sources in Korea, the company will first reveal the accompanying software platform later this month.
As per a report from Yonhap News, Samsung’s unveiling strategy for the smart glasses echoes its approach with the Galaxy Ring earlier this year. The January showcase won’t constitute a full product launch but will likely feature teaser visuals at the Galaxy S25 event. A more detailed rollout could follow in subsequent months.
Just in: Samsung is set to unveil a prototype of its augmented reality (AR) glasses, currently in development, during the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year, likely in the form of videos or images.
Additionally, prior to revealing the prototype, Samsung plans to introduce…
— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 3, 2024
The Galaxy Ring, for example, debuted in January via a short presentation during Samsung’s Unpacked event. The full product unveiling came later at MWC in February, and the final release followed in July. Samsung seems to be adopting a similar phased approach with its smart glasses, which are expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2025.
A Collaborative Software Effort
Samsung’s partnership with Google has played a key role in developing the smart glasses’ software. This collaboration was first announced in February 2023, with the device set to run on an Android-based platform. In July, the companies reiterated their plans to deliver an extended reality (XR) platform by the end of the year. The software specifics for the XR device are expected to be unveiled before the end of December.
Reports suggest that the smart glasses will resemble Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in functionality. They won’t include a display but will weigh approximately 50 grams, emphasizing a lightweight, user-friendly design.
Feature Set And Compatibility
The glasses are rumored to integrate Google’s Gemini technology, alongside features like gesture recognition and potential payment capabilities. Samsung aims to create a seamless user experience by integrating the glasses with its broader Galaxy ecosystem, starting with the Galaxy S25, slated for release on January 22.