We recently reported that a selection of Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features are coming to previous-generation Galaxy phones soon, and now we’ve got wind of another AI-powered feature that’s set to make the jump down to the Galaxy S23 line.
According to a moderator in Samsung’s Community Forum (via SamMobile), Samsung plans to bring the Galaxy S24’s Instant Slow-Mo feature to last-gen Samsung devices, specifically the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Tab S9 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Instant Slow-Mo uses AI-powered frame generation to let you turn almost any regular video into a slow-motion video. As Samsung’s moderator notes, the feature requires 16.6 milliseconds of processing time for smooth real-time video playback, which rules out its future inclusion on older Samsung devices like the Samsung Galaxy S22, as they’re not powerful enough.
Those aforementioned 2023 flagships, however, will likely get Instant Slow-Mo as part of Samsung’s One UI 6.1 update, which will reportedly become available to download on Galaxy S23 phones as soon as next month.
Instant Slow-Mo will join Circle To Search, Live Translate, Note Assist, and Photo Assist in the suite of Galaxy AI features available on last-gen Galaxy phones.
In the same Community Forum, Samsung’s moderator also notes that Samsung will improve the functionality of Instant Slow-Mo in future software updates. Specifically, the feature will soon be compatible with 10-bit videos, 480p resolution videos, and MOV video files. At present, Instant Slow-Mo is limited to 8-bit videos, 720p to 8K videos, and MP4 files.
Suffice to say, the imminent inclusion of Instant Slow-Mo on last-gen Samsung devices is another big win for Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 owners, who may have feared that the AI-powered Galaxy S24 line would leave their smartphones feeling outdated.
That said, if you’re considering picking up a Galaxy S23 Ultra on the cheap instead of splashing out on the pricey Galaxy S24 Ultra, think again. As TechRadar’s US Mobiles Editor, Philip Berne, wrote in a recent article: “Whatever you do, don’t buy a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.”
At the time of writing, Samsung hasn’t yet dropped the price of its 2023 flagship down to a reasonable level, so we’d suggest going all out on the (absolutely fantastic) Galaxy S24 Ultra if you’re able to do so. You’ll get seven years of updates (instead of four) from Samsung’s newer phone, too.
For our full verdict on Samsung’s latest phones, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review, and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.