Samsung's first Galaxy Unpacked Event for 2024 is here. As typical in the first Samsung hardware event of the year, the biggest focus was on new smartphones.
The Galaxy S24 line was the focus of Galaxy Unpacked. Besides just being annual hardware refreshes that include the latest processor and more, the Galaxy S24 series ushered a new era for Samsung as the first phones to include Samsung's new Galaxy AI tool.
If you missed the Galaxy Unpacked event, don't fret. We rounded up all the news and announcements from the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2024, which you can read below.
Galaxy AI
Let's get the biggest thing out of the way: Samsung's new AI tool included in the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy AI. Samsung touts that Galaxy AI will incorporate "meaningful intelligence to enhance every part of life." With smartphones being an integral part of the average consumer's day-to-day activities, it was inevitable that artificial intelligence would be implemented into smartphones.
Galaxy AI will allow S24 series owners to enable barrier-free communication using "intelligent text and call translations," thanks to Live Translate. No longer will you need to download a third-party app or use an entirely different device. Some other exciting things Galaxy AI will use include Chat Assist, allowing you to ensure your text messages do not provide the wrong tone to the recipient, and ProVisual Engine, which is a suite of AI-souped-up tools that will enable you to get more creative while editing photos and videos on an S24 series phone.
Galaxy S24 Ultra
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is taking the reigns as Samsung's new flagship smartphone. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the S24 Ultra provides a ton of power for "efficient AI processing." As previously confirmed by Qualcomm, its new processor is also capable of delivering 240fps and has improved ray-tracing. With a more powerful smartphone capable of delivering improved gaming experiences, Samsung confirmed the S24 Ultra includes an "optimal thermal control system with a maximum of 1.9 times larger vapor chamber."
As far as specifications go, the S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED 2X display with an adaptive refresh rate that can go up to 120Hz. Regarding cameras, the S24 Ultra features a 12MP front camera with an F2.2 aperture and an 80-degree field of view (FOV).
The rear includes four cameras: a 12MP Ultra-Wide lens with an F2.2 aperture and 120-degree FOV, a 200MP Wide lens with optical image stabilization (OIS), and an F1.7 aperture with an 85-degree FOV. A 50MP Telephoto lens with five times optical zoom, OIS, F3.4 aperture, and a 22-degree FOV; and a 10MP Telephoto lens with three times optical zoom, OIS, F2.4 aperture, and a 36-degree FOV.
Nightography, Samsung's camera feature that makes it easier to take photos in low-light settings, has also been improved in the GGalaxy S24 Ultra as the device includes a larger pixel size of 1.4 μm.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra includes a 5,000 mAh battery, with Samsung claiming that when wired charging the phone with a compatible power delivery (PD) tech, the device can reach up to 65% charge in half an hour when using a 45W adapter and a 5A USB-C cable.
There are three storage configuration options for the Galaxy S24 Ultra: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, while the only RAM configuration is 12GB.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299 and is available in the following colors: Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Green, Titanium Blue, and Titanium Orange.
Galaxy S24 Plus
The Galaxy S24 Plus features a 6.7-inch QHD+ dynamic display like the S24 Ultra and the same dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
The S24 Plus includes the same front camera found on the S24 Ultra: 12MP with an F2.2 aperture and 80-degree FOV. The rear features a triple camera set up with a 12MP ultra-wide with F2.2 aperture and 120-degree FOV, a 50MP wide lens with OIS F1.8 aperture, and an 85-degree FOV, and a 10MP telephoto lens with eight times optical zoom F2.4 aperture and 36-degree FOV.
Memory configurations for the S24 Plus include 12GB of RAM and two storage options: 256GB and 512GB. The phone's battery is 4,900 mAh, reaching 65% in roughly 30 minutes when wired charging using a 45W adapter and a 5A USB-C cable, which is compatible with PD technology.
The Galaxy S24 Plus starts at $999.99 and comes in seven colors: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet and Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone.
Galaxy S24
The entry-level S24 smartphone features a 6.2-inch FHD+ display with the same dynamic resolution that goes up to 120Hz. The regular S24 also includes the same camera setup as the S24 Plus: the same 12MP selfie camera with an F2.2 aperture and 80-degree FOV and a triple-camera setup on the rear: 12MP ultra-wide with F2.2 aperture and 120-degree FOV, a 50MP wide lens with OIS F1.8 aperture, and an 85-degree FOV, and a 10MP telephoto lens with eight times optical zoom F2.4 aperture and 36-degree FOV.
Screen size aside, the other difference between the S24 and the S24 Plus is the configurations for memory: 8GB of RAM and two storage options: 128GB and 256GB. While the battery is smaller: 4,000 mAh, Samsung claims that you can get up to 50% charge in roughly half an hour with a 25W adapter using a 3A USB-C cable compatible with PD technology.
Like the S24 Plus, the S24 comes in the following colors: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet and Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone, while its retail price begins at $799.99.
Preorders for the Galaxy S24 series begin today and will ship on January 31.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
