What you should know
- Samsung has scheduled a January Unpacked event under the tagline “Galaxy AI is coming,” hinting at the announcement of the Galaxy S24 series, which are rumored to be Samsung’s first “AI phones.”
- The Galaxy S24 lineup will be announced at Samsung Unpacked, scheduled for January 17, 2024, and will be streamed online via Samsung’s official YouTube channel.
- The Galaxy S24 series will consist of the Galaxy S24, the Galaxy S24 Plus, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra, all powered by a custom version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset or Samsung’s homebrew Exynos 2400 in some markets.
- Alongside the new hardware, Samsung is expected to announce the launch of One UI 6.1, a major software update that will introduce new AI-powered features and will be featured on the Galaxy S24 series.
- No new foldable phones, Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Buds models are expected to be announced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event.
Full Story
Samsung hasn’t explicitly announced the launch of a Galaxy S24 series. Yet, they’ve scheduled a January Unpacked event under the tagline “Galaxy AI is coming.” Given the persistent rumors that the Galaxy S24, S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra will be Samsung’s first “AI phones,” it’s not hard to guess what Samsung is preparing to announce. This event will be its first 2024 Unpacked event.
You can reserve your Galaxy S24 preorder deals bonus right here. But when does the Galaxy S24 Unpacked event start? It’s scheduled for January 17, 2024, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM CET. The Galaxy S24 lineup will be announced at Samsung Unpacked, which is set to take place on January 17.
This time, it’s going to be aired live from San Jose. A bit of a change, eh? Now, how to watch the Samsung Galaxy S24 announcement? The 2024 Unpacked event will start at 10:00 Pacific Time / 13:00 Eastern Time / 18:00 Western European Time. It will be streamed online in real time via Samsung’s official YouTube channel.
You can also watch the announcement unfold through our extensive live coverage here at PhoneArena. So, what to expect from Galaxy Unpacked 2024? The Galaxy S24 series announcement, of course!
The Galaxy S24 series will undoubtedly be the highlight of Galaxy Unpacked. The S24 family will consist of no less than 3 devices – the Galaxy S24, the Galaxy S24 Plus, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. All three of them will be making their debut at the end of January or beginning of February. You can pre-order them immediately after the announcement.
The Galaxy S24 will be powered by a custom version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. In some markets, it will be powered by Samsung’s homebrew Exynos 2400. This means that the smartphones will offer top-notch performance. They could likely be one of the most powerful Android devices on the market at launch.
In addition to the impressive processor, the Galaxy S24 will likely bring a slew of updates to the battery life and the display quality. We will be especially looking for the inclusion of an LTPO panel this time around. This will allow a more granular refresh rate than the 48Hz-120Hz that the lower members of the clan typically come with.
Beside the battery life improvements this switcheroo would bring, an added benefit could be much brighter and more frugal screens, too. As for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, there will be a very impressive camera kit. Most likely, it will offer a high-res periscope camera that should improve low-light zoom shots significantly.
Alongside the new hardware, we expect one major software announcement from Samsung – namely, the launch of One UI 6.1. This is the user interface developed by the Korean tech giant exclusively for its smartphones. The Galaxy S24 will feature One UI 6.1 out of the box. The newest version will also likely be making its way to other Samsung devices sooner rather than later.
As leaked, One UI 6.1 on Android 14 will be all about AI and anticipating every need and move of the S24 phone user. A new Samsung AI era indeed. New Galaxy S24 AI features include meeting notes and translation, circle search, and title writing. The S24 Ultra will be able to do a whole essay on a topic, ChatGPT style.
These are all new AI-powered features that will be coming to the Galaxy S24 Ultra with the One UI 6.1 interface by Samsung. They are also made possible by Google’s Android 14 update and AI-focused Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset that target AI calculations. Qualcomm’s tailored the processor specifically for Samsung, just as it did with the S23’s Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset based on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
The One UI 6.1 interface update that will come with Android 14 on Samsung Galaxy phones also has other tricks up its sleeve. It includes new AI-driven features like generative wallpapers, Google Pixel style. According to X users Bennett Buhner and WigettaGaming (subsequently deleted), this is how they may look like.
The One UI 6.1 could also bring weather effects on the lock screen, the Magic Editor-styled photo retouching, as well as the Circle Search and Meeting Notes functions explained above. That’s not to mention the live translation during calls or meetings, and the smart battery defense system. All thanks to Samsung’s new generative AI model that it calls Gauss. It’s making a cameo next month on January 17 when the Galaxy S24 series Unpacked event will be held.
So, what NOT to expect at Galaxy Unpacked 2024? New foldable phones. Currently, Samsung has only 2 foldable lineups, both of which are updated annually. A successor is usually released sometime in August. Hence, with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 being about half a year old, there is no indication that a new foldable launch is due before Summer 2024.
By the looks of it, there will be no announcements of wearables and headphones at Galaxy Unpacked. After all, Samsung released the current Galaxy Watch 6 series last August. So it is safe to assume that it, and its Watch 6 Classic version will have to wait more for a successor.