Death, taxes....and AI
More AI-powered features coming to smartphones next year
Tired of hearing how AI is going to change our world? Well, you might want to take a break from smartphone launches next year. Because if Samsung’s recent Galaxy AI reveal — a mobile AI experience likely to debut next year in its flagship Galaxy S24 series of phones — is any indication, it’s shaping up to be an AI race among smartphone makers next year.
Samsung is using AI in its phones to create real-time audio and text translations during a phone call. No doubt, there will be other use cases, from generating new scenes in your photos to replying for you in chats. Google has already shown the world a glimpse of AI in smartphones. Its latest Pixel 8 phones added generative AI features that rely on a combination of its Tensor chip and cloud-based AI.
Although most smartphone makers lack the AI expertise of big tech firms like Google, they are getting help in the form of Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. This processor, which is likely to power many of next year’s top phones, has an AI engine that can “support generative AI models with up to 10 billion parameters — on-device”.
Apple, too, is responding to the AI frenzy. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple plans to add AI to many of its products next year, from a smarter Siri to using generative AI in apps like Pages and Keynote — just like how Microsoft 365 Copilot can help users improve their productivity by summarising, and creating content. Since it’s increasingly difficult to make significant improvements in other features like cameras, smartphone makers appear to be turning to AI for the big new thing.
This week, we tested Sony’s Mini-LED TV, which is one of the best this year, a value-for-money true wireless earbuds from Samsung, and a roguelike game that promises hours of fun.
If you’re mostly watching TV in a brightly-lit room, a Mini-LED TV like the Sony X95L, which gets much brighter than an OLED TV, may be the wiser choice. Especially as the X95L is also an excellent TV that can produce blacks almost as good as an OLED. Sony’s picture processing is also great, as usual, so you can expect pristine and natural images.
Samsung’s Fan Edition take on its Galaxy earbuds offers a stripped-down experience at an affordable (S$158) price point. The good news is that Samsung has struck a good balance between features, performance, and price. The active noise cancellation and audio quality are almost as good as the premium model.
Fans of roguelike games such as Hades will find plenty to like about Endless Dungeon. You play as a team of characters trying to unravel a mysterious space station, while also figuring out tower defense mechanics to defend your base. Endless Dungeon doesn't feel overwhelming despite the sheer number of things you can do in the game. It’s an engaging game that will offer lots of fun.