There’s no buzzword that’s captured the imagination of the tech space more than Generative AI. Artificial intelligence is already driving some of our key smartphone experiences. Google has unleashed the power of ‘on-device’ AI. Earlier this year, the features in Samsung’s big flagship launch (the Galaxy S24 series) were dominated by on-device AI experiences.
In April 2024, OnePlus and OPPO announced at Google’s Cloud Next 2024 conference that they have collaborated with Google to bring cutting-edge AI to their smartphones. The brands are set to launch over a 100 AI-generated experiences over the next few years on their smartphones. Google’s cutting-edge Gemini Large Language Model (LLM) is all set to arrive on their devices this year and impact everyday smartphone experiences.
We’ve rounded up some of the best AI features that you can try on compatible Android smartphones right now:
Search
‘Circle to Search’ works particularly well when on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and is a feature that is likely to make its way to more Android smartphones shortly Samsung
‘Circle to Search’ is one of the features that Samsung’s Galaxy S24 is playing up. It’s ridiculously simple to use and lives up to its description. If something catches your attention, all you have to do is circle it and it automatically throws up a bunch of Google search results. While it works particularly well when on the Galaxy S24 Ultra with it’s S-Pen or in-built stylus, we’ve also tried this feature on Google Pixel smartphones that have started incorporating this feature. This is a feature that is likely to make its way to more Android smartphones shortly.
Snapping Images
One of our favourite features on the Google Pixel 8 devices is ‘Best Take’, the perfect antidote to all those group pictures that get ruined because of one person making a face or closing their eyes. The Pixel cam captures facial expressions even before you hit the shutter button. The AI solution offers to replace the bad face with the best possible shot. Google’s Pixel smartphones also offer ‘Night Sight’ and ‘Night Sight Video’ that use AI to rebalance colour and also reduces blur.
Photo Edits
A Google One subscription gives you access to the Magic Editor, which uses a combination of AI techniques to alter parts of an image Google
We first checked out the ‘Magic Eraser’ feature on the Pixel 6a. There’s nothing more satisfying than eliminating photo bombers to create the perfect image. While this has remained a Google Pixel smartphone exclusive for a while, it’s now available on Google Photos (irrespective of what Android device you use) as long as you have a Google One subscription. Your subscription also gives you access to the Magic Editor that uses a combination of AI techniques to alter parts of an image – think of the sky or the background or even the subject, so you have more control of the final look of your photo. The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro also offer a cool ‘Audio Magic Eraser’ feature. It splits the video file into multiple audio segments and erase sections of the background audio for the perfect video. The ‘Generative Edit’ feature on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 smartphones allows you to use a combination of edits like erasing, recomposing, and remastering for a much-improved image.
Translate
Lost in translation might soon become a thing of the past
One of the cool tools that Samsung showcased at the launch of the Galaxy S24 devices is ‘Live Translate’. Imagine you’re in a new country or region where you need to communicate in a local language. Live Translate makes communication hurdles disappear thanks to near-real-time voice translations right through the Phone app. You can experience two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls. Lost in translation might soon become a thing of the past. Google’s Pixel devices offer Live Translate for speech and text.
Compose
The ‘Chat Assist’ feature on the Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones can tweak your writing style to make it more conversational or professional. Chat Assist can help you with real-time tone suggestions. You can break down language barriers thanks to AI built into the Samsung Keyboard. You can now seamlessly translate and message friends and family in different languages, with real-time translation.
Transcribe and Summarise
The ‘Note Assist’ feature on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 smartphones is a handy new note-taking feature. It offers AI-generated summaries, template creation for streamlined notes with pre-made formats and also translates your notes for added convenience. Compatible Google Pixel phones don’t just offer an effective Transcribe feature, but also offer a ‘Summarize’ feature that sums up the key points from the meeting or recording that it transcribes.
We’re likely to see more AI-enabled features drop on multiple Android smartphones and it’s also widely anticipated that AI will be the key theme when the iPhone 16 and Apple’s newest version of its UI – iOS 18 will debut later this year. So, stay tuned.
