by Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 smartphones are getting new AI-powered shopping tricks, courtesy of Google, which dropped by the South Korean tech company’s Unpacked event in San Jose, California, on Wednesday to show off the cool new feature.
The two tech giants have collaborated on “Circle to Search,” which allows users of the newly announced Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 smartphones to circle, scribble, highlight or tap items on a screen to learn more about them , from corndogs to clothing and fashion accessories.
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According to a demo on stage by Cathy Edwards, vice president of search at Google, long-pressing the home button turns on the feature, and “from there you can choose any — I like these sunglasses — to quickly find similar options and where to buy. them.” She searched for the bag in the same photo by scribbling on it and then tapped the boots to do the same, with the results scouring the web for product listings. It also works by circling words in a text message or objects seen in a video. Depending on the search, it may pull up information, shops or restaurants or other videos. When Edwards typed “thrift stores in Camden Market,” the tool provided store names and addresses. This is Google Search, but take it out in a new way.
The experience was designed to be fast and intuitive, so people can circle, tap, scribble, etc. to search without kicking them out of the app they were using.
Edwards doubled down on the fashion offering in a separate announcement from Google on Wednesday. “For example, you might need help identifying a few items that a creator wore in their ‘Ollfit of the Day’ video, but didn’t tag the brands. For a long time press the home button or navigation bar on your Android phone to activate Circle to Search,” she wrote.
“From there, you can select anything you see with your preferred token — like circling their sunglasses — to quickly find shopping-like options from retailers across the web. You could scribble on the bag and tap on the boots to search for those too – without leaving where you are. When you’re done, just swipe away and you’re right back where you started.”
Circle to Search will launch on January 31st on the three new Galaxy S24 smartphones, although not exclusively. According to Edwards, it will also be available on Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones.
This feature is one of many ways Google is developing to change the search experience using artificial intelligence. Apart from text search, the range includes voice search, hum to search for music and visual search using Google Lens, which attaches the camera so that the AI can “see” what the user sees and data that dig into the matter.
But AI isn’t just Google’s turf. Samsung also introduced its own AI Galaxy as a way to infuse its collection of mobile devices with embedded AI generation, a form ChatGPT has popularized for its ability to generate content and media with impressive results. The Galaxy AI will power a number of new tricks from advanced photo editing that can move around objects in photos to real-time language translation on phone calls. The S24 phones are first in line for these features, before they make their way to the Galaxy S23 series later.
From there, Galaxy AI will expand into its other devices. Surely that will include its foldable phones Z Fold or Z Flip, as well as wearables like the Galaxy Watch and maybe another item.
At the end of the presentation, after appearances by Edwards and other guests, such as the great flying after-effect MrBeast, Samsung threw in a teaser for the Galaxy Ring, a previously undisclosed product that represents a new category for the company.
In a video clip, the device appeared to be just what it was – a finger wear device that can be used for health and fitness. But what it does, who it is for and when it will be sent is still a mystery.
Apart from that, Samsung, as one of the best smartphone brands in the world, has given consumers AI one of the biggest advances yet by adding Google Search Circle, as well as live translation and camera and photo editing tools powered by AI, in its flagship phones.
The S24 Ultra, Samsung’s premium offering, is its first titanium phone. It also features Corning Gorilla Armor glass, a “Quad Tele System” with 5x optical zoom and a 50 megapixel sensor with massive zoom levels. According to Samsung, “images show crystal clear results at 100x with enhanced digital zoom.” The price starts at $1,300 and it comes in grey, black, violet and yellow in most places, with exclusive options for green, blue and orange available only at Samsung.
The S24 and S24+ aren’t exactly unibody phones, but they’re close. These 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch models were designed to be sleeker with a seamless connection between the back and sides, and slimmer bezels. Prices start at $800 for the S24 and $1,000 for the S24+, widely available in black, grey, violet and yellow. Samsung.com will offer green, blue and orange exclusively.
Pre-orders open on Wednesday and end on January 30, with shopping availability starting on January 31, at Samsung online, Samsung Experience Stores and other retailers.
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