When the latest Galaxy S24 phone debuts at the Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday (January 17), we're probably not going to talk about the hardware changes Samsung has made to its flagship phone. Instead, if the rumors are accurate, it is the software that should grab everyone's attention - specifically, the new features driven by Samsung's push into artificial intelligence.

That the Galaxy S24 will push AI features to the forefront is not necessarily a state secret. Samsung has already indicated that AI will be a major focus of its next big phone release, even if it has yet to confirm details about specific features.

"Samsung has been pretty public in its advance marketing that AI will be used to at least improve camera capabilities," says Avi Greengart, principal analyst at Techsponential. 'It's an area where generative AI offers unique capabilities, because people buy Samsung phones to create photos and videos and be more productive.'

I expect Samsung to devote a significant portion of the Galaxy Unpacked event to go into the details of AI functionality. Doing so should give us a better idea of just how big an impact AI will have on how we use our phones.

Samsung certainly has high hopes for the products it plans to introduce. Galaxy AI will provide the most comprehensive intelligence ever and will change the way we think about cell phones forever," Wonjun Choi, Samsung's executive vice president and head of R&D for the mobile experience business, said last November when Samsung announced its AI plan, he said when he unveiled the plan.

At the time, Samsung promised that new AI features would be coming to Galaxy phones in early 2024, a pretty clear indication that these features would debut in the Galaxy S24 lineup. Broadly speaking, Samsung said that the AI built into its phones would enable communication without barriers, increased productivity, and "creativity without constraints."

While few specifics were given, Samsung did provide one clear example of what it wants to do with AI. The company described a new feature called "AI Live Translate Call," which will allow users to talk on the phone with someone who speaks a different language than they do. Both voice and text translation will take place in real time, with the latter appearing on the Galaxy device's screen, eliminating the need to refer to a third-party translation app. Samsung also explained that the experience will take place entirely on the device itself and will remain private no matter which language the conversation takes place in.

It is clear that this AI Live Translate Call feature will be included in the Galaxy S24, not just in the high-end Galaxy S24 Ultra, but in all models. And indeed, a leaked version of the One UI 6.1 software interface that is expected to run on the new S24 models confirms that the phone app will have some sort of live translation feature.

That One UI 6.1 leak revealed more than just live translation during calls. Other features present in its software included AI-generated wallpaper, the ability to organize notes into bullet points, and several smart charging features designed to extend the life of the phone's battery.

Photo editing features also appear to be part of Samsung's AI plans for the S24 lineup; leaks of One UI 6.1 suggest a photo editing feature that allows users to expand photo borders by filling in the background. Another feature allows users to manipulate the subject of a photo, allowing them to move the subject to a different location. (This seems very similar to the Magic Editor feature in the latest Google Pixel 8.)

Further leaked information also mentions other AI features that are expected to be included in the Galaxy S24. Rumored features include the ability to automatically generate email replies, video upscaling for better performance in low light, and voice transcription to recognize different speakers.

"I don't think it's out of the question to expect additional AI features, as we've seen at previous Unpacked events and competitor smartphone launches," said Tuong Nguyen, director analyst at Gartner. Nguyen expects to see AI features aimed at improving photo quality, providing translations, and tracking behaviors like physical and mental health and security data.

"These are all features we've seen before from Samsung phones, other smartphones, and other consumer electronics devices, but I think there will be innovation in terms of how this is applied and what improvements it brings compared to previous iterations," he added.

More details about these AI-powered features in the Galaxy S24 will go a long way in determining how important these improvements actually are. Still, it is not certain that AI will be the driving force that convinces smartphone owners to upgrade to the Galaxy S24.

"Since most phones in the last few years have had some AI functionality, it is doubtful that AI functionality by itself will encourage current phone upgrades," Nguyen said.

"It is more important to ask whether such features will make consumers want to upgrade by making them radically different or more useful than what they currently have."

Greengart said that whatever silicon Samsung uses will likely be Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the S24 models released in the US, while the S24 and S24 Plus models released in other regions will likely feature Exynos 2400, He agrees that any talk of a neural processing unit (NPU) will not trigger people to visit Samsung's virtual store. Consumers don't know what an NPU is," he said. But if we can tell a compelling story about how this phone can help them be more productive or creative, and provide that kind of experience, we can speed up the upgrade cycle."

Ultimately, how important Samsung's AI move will be depends on Samsung.

"Like any new technology, we have some idea of what it can do, but we don't know how best to use its capabilities in a way that consumers and businesses will find value," Greengart said. . "New platforms always involve trial and error, but Samsung is known for being an innovator.