Samsung's much-awaited Galaxy S24 series smartphones will reportedly come with an interesting new Google AI feature dubbed "Circle to Search".
While the Korean smartphone giant is on the verge of taking the wraps off its next-gen S-series smartphones, the rumour mill continues to churn out new speculations surrounding the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Much to the chagrin of Samsung, which is trying to stop Galaxy S24 leaks from surfacing online, a series of what appear to be leaked marketing materials from the company have divulged key details about the phones' specs and teased an interesting feature called Circle to Search.
The marketing images, which were originally posted by tipster Evan Blass to X (formerly Twitter), have been deleted. However, a report from 9to5 Google has shed some light on the Google-powered feature that will be available to the Galaxy S24 series users.
Samsung Galaxy S24 series could be teeming with AI features
The report suggests the feature will come in handy for searching any image, video or text on the screen. You can do this simply by circling, highlighting, scribbling or even tapping the thing you're interested in. The feature eliminates the need to take screenshots.
Galaxy AI's 'Circle Search' feature makes searching with images easier - https://t.co/wnqVYflmP4
— Smart Phone Junkie (@smartfonejunkie) January 12, 2024
Under the tagline ‘Galaxy AI,’ Samsung aims to elevate the user experience by integrating AI-technologies seamlessly into the upcoming Galaxy S24 series devices. Some previous r... pic.twitter.com/mq9EJFrmsY
The leaked description says: "search any image, video, or text on your screen. Circle, highlight, scribble, or tap to pinpoint what you're curious about, no screenshots necessary."
The feature, which appears to be powered by Google's artificial intelligence smarts, sounds like an uber-cool upgrade to Google Lens, which allows users to search with the phone's camera.
So, it is safe to assume that the S-pen will probably support the feature in some capacity. It will be interesting to see whether this feature will be available across the Galaxy S24 series or limited to the higher-end Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Samsung's attempt to outperform leading smartphone makers
Last year, The Korea Daily reported that Samsung is planning to integrate Google Bard or OpenAI's ChatGPT directly into the Galaxy S24 lineup. One source told the outlet that the company believes baking AI into the Galaxy S24 lineup will allow it to surpass Apple and other smartphone makers.
This also corroborates an earlier report that indicated the Korean brand is betting big on AI-powered features and tools to boost Galaxy S24 series sales.
"Should the AI smartphone take off, it is an opportunity after 10 years to take the lead in the smartphone [sector]," one source told The Korea Daily about Samsung's strategy.
Reportedly, the upcoming Samsung phones will support a slew of other AI-powered features including live translation of phone calls, better night-time zoom and an AI-powered "Note Assist" feature in Samsung Notes.
However, the biggest push has been for the camera. Past leaks suggest the Galaxy S24 series will use an AI system called Samsung Gauss to allow users to delete objects in a photo or video. Samsung has neither confirmed nor denied these speculations yet.
Nevertheless, the renowned smartphone maker is expected to put some of the rumours to rest at the Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow (January 17). In the meantime, a hands-on video showcasing the Galaxy S24 Ultra's flat display has popped up on the internet, courtesy of leaker BenIt Bruhner Pro.
Galaxy S24 Ultra - DISPLAY LEAKS!!!
— BenIt Bruhner Pro (@BennettBuhner) January 12, 2024
Broguth to you by Ice Universe, you get to see an early preview of the flat display, along with detailed specifications on the front!
Are you excited?! I am!!!#Samaung #SamsungUnpacked #GalaxyS24Ultra #GalaxyS24 #GalaxyAI #OneUI6 pic.twitter.com/Jay9SMfBYF
The video confirms the presence of a centre hole-punch cutout at the top of the flat panel to house the selfie camera. The screen is encompassed by extremely thin bezels on all sides. Moreover, the right edge houses the power button and volume rockers.
If rumours turn out to be true, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will be housed in a robust titanium body. The phone will be up for grabs in multiple eye-catching colour options such as black, grey, violet and yellow.
Under the hood, the Ultra model will reportedly pack Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. It will ship with 12GB of RAM and onboard storage options of 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
