The Samsung Galaxy S24 and its siblings – the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – are all arriving on January 17. Samsung has confirmed as much, but in teasing these phones the company has also confirmed something much less positive.
As spotted by SamMobile, some versions of a teaser highlighting Galaxy AI mention in small print that these features require both a Samsung and Google account, and that an internet connection may be required to use some of them.
AI is expected to be a major aspect of the Samsung Galaxy S24 line, with leaks suggesting that these phones could have many of the same capabilities as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, such as being able to move and remove objects in photos, along with some more unique capabilities, such as the ability to live translate voice calls.
But in the case of the Pixel 8 line, some of these features are processed in the cloud, and given the mention of an internet connection being needed, it’s likely some will be with the Galaxy S24 line too.
Problematic processing
That’s a potential problem for two reasons. First, you obviously wouldn’t be able to use any features that require internet if you’re somewhere without a connection. And second, in the case of the Pixel, the online processing can sometimes take a while. In fact, the Pixel 8 Pro’s Video Boost feature (which uses AI to improve the look of recorded videos) can take hours to process even a short clip.
Now, it’s unclear whether any of Samsung’s AI features will keep users waiting quite that long, but it is a possibility, and is likely to mean some AI features won’t feel as fast or seamless as you might hope.
The requirement for both a Samsung and a Google account probably won’t be much issue for most users, since you’d likely be signed into both on a Samsung phone anyway, but it is another barrier to using Galaxy AI.
Whether Samsung’s AI tools will be worth these concessions remains to be seen, but we’ll find out soon. TechRadar will be covering the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S24 line live, so head back here on January 17 for all the details.