Making everything about AI
Samsung going all-in on the AI messaging
Blink and you’ll miss it. Samsung had a pop-up TV experience zone featuring its latest 2024 audiovisual products at the Jewel Changi last Friday and Saturday. Unsurprisingly, this year’s theme is about AI, and how Samsung TVs use it to enhance your viewing experience, for example, by making low-resolution content look better through upscaling, or reducing motion blur in sports content.
Now, upscaling and other image processing features aren’t exactly new in TVs. But Samsung is marketing these features as AI enhancements this year. For example, the Real Depth Enhancer Pro feature in these 2024 TVs, which uses AI to exert more precise control over the TV’s mini-LEDs in order to bring certain details to the foreground in fast-moving scenes, was introduced in 2023. Of course, there are new features, too, like the AI Motion Enhancer Pro feature that smoothens motion for clearer visuals in fast-moving content like sports.
These AI features are enabled by the neural processing unit (NPU) in the TV processor. Samsung says its latest NQ8 AI Gen3 chip — found in its Neo QLED 8K TVs — uses 512 neural networks for the flagship QN900D, up from 64 in last year’s model. The lower-end 4K models get the NQ4 AI Gen2 chip.
While this year’s theme is about AI, those who had a chance to view the flagship Samsung S95D OLED TV, were wowed by its new anti-glare technology, dubbed OLED Glare Free. Like a black hole, this anti-glare layer appears to absorb external light, which means reflections are greatly reduced, while still keeping OLED’s vibrant colours. Having tested the latest mid-range Prism+ OLED TV that did everything right, but was so reflective that it distracted my viewing experience, I think Samsung made a good call with this anti-glare feature. It will definitely benefit most TV viewers, who presumably don’t watch shows in complete darkness.
You can pre-order Samsung’s new AI-powered TVs now. Freebies including a mystery gift, a Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen projector, and an Nintendo Switch, are up for grabs, depending on the model, and TV size. Find out more here.
This week, we tested a budget Samsung smartphone, one of the first AI PCs in the market, and a wireless controller that integrates your dumb devices into your smart home.
Yes, there are cheaper Chinese-made smartphones out there compared with the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G. But many folks find value from Samsung’s software and ecosystem, and the A25 5G is relatively affordable, and offers a good mix of features, too. Samsung also promises up to four Android OS upgrades, and five years of security updates, which you likely won’t get with other Android brands.
Make your dumb devices smart with the Bond Bridge. For example, you can remotely control a ceiling fan by first connecting it to the Bond Bridge, and having the Bond Bridge in your smart home network. The Bond Bridge works with major smart home systems such as Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, or Amazon Alexa. But for it to work optimally, you must commit to using it, and ditch all your remotes.
The latest Acer Swift Go 14 retains the same thin-and-light design as last year’s version, but refreshed with Intel’s new AI-enhanced Core Ultra processor. Other smaller, but still meaningful tweaks include a physical privacy shutter for the webcam, a 44% larger touchpad, and a lid that’s easier to open.