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Samsung chief In India

Lee arrived in Mumbai on Thursday…reports Asian Lite News

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been on a visit to India to review the company’s local operations and meet with business partners, according to a report.

Lee arrived in Mumbai on Thursday, reports Yonhap News Agency, citing sources.

Samsung Electronics operates a smartphone factory in Noida, northern India, and a home appliance facility in Sriperumbudur, southern India, along with several R&D and design centres.

It also has a strong presence in the network business in India, supplying fifth-generation mobile communications (5G) equipment for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, Samsung has unveiled the all-new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 foldables, along with wearable devices, with new features at its ‘Unpacked’ event.

The Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6 and wearable devices (Galaxy Ring, Buds3 series, Watch7 and Watch Ultra) will be available for pre-order starting July 10, with general availability from July 24.

The Galaxy Z Flip6 (12GB+256GB) will cost Rs 109,999 and the 12GB+512GB version will come for Rs 121,999.

Galaxy Z Fold6 in the 12GB+256GB variant will cost Rs 164,999 while the 12GB+512GB version will come for Rs 176,999. The 12GB+1TB (silver shadow colour) will cost Rs 200,999, informed the company.

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Samsung’s Q1: Profit Soars, Chips Lead

Its sales jumped 12.8 per cent to 71.9 trillion won, and net profit soared 329 percent to 6.75 trillion won, the company said in a regulatory filing….reports Asian Lite News

Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday its operating profit went up more than ten-fold in the first quarter, with its chip business shifting to the black for the first time in five quarters.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of smartphones and memory chips, said its operating profit reached 6.6 trillion won (US$4.8 billion) for the January-March period, compared with 640.2 billion won a year ago.

Its sales jumped 12.8 per cent to 71.9 trillion won, and net profit soared 329 percent to 6.75 trillion won, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The earnings beat market expectations. The average estimate of operating profit by analysts stood at 5.6 trillion won, according to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.

Samsung said it has invested 7.82 trillion won in research and development for the quarter ending March, marking the largest quarterly investment.

The chip business earned 23.1 trillion won in sales for the three-month period through March, with an operating profit of 1.91 trillion won.

It is the first time that the company’s semiconductor segment has posted profit since the fourth quarter of 2022. It logged an operating loss of over 15 trillion won last year amid a downturn in the global chip market.

Strong demand for memory chips lent support to the better-than-expected performance of the company’s chip business on rising DRAM and NAND flash prices, with steady sales of double data rate 5 (DDR5) products and massive solid state drives (SSDs).

The chipmaker said its foundry business is expected to post a double-digit on-quarter growth in the second quarter after bottoming out in the first quarter as customer inventory adjustments have been finalised and line utilisation improved.

Samsung Electronics plans to complete the development of 2nm design infrastructure and prepare infrastructure for various applications in mature processes, such as 14nm and 8nm, to secure customers.

The mobile and other devices business posted 47.3 trillion won in sales and 4.1 trillion won in operating profit in the first quarter.

In particular, sales of 33.5 trillion won and an operating profit of 2.5 trillion won came from the smartphone sector.

Its latest Galaxy S24 series model, the company’s first AI-powered smartphone, led the stellar first-quarter earnings despite a slowdown in the global smartphone market.

The company said shipments of smartphones and tablets amounted to 60 million and 7 million units in the first quarter, respectively, with the average selling price of smartphones reaching $336.

Earnings from its TV business fell from the previous quarter, but demand for large QLED and OLED TVs remained strong.

Chip Supply Chain Set to Expand

Samsung is set to accelerate the expansion of its global semiconductor supply chain in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), following a subsidy of $6.4 billion from the US government and its extended investment plan.

Under the Biden Administration’s announcement, the South Korean chipmaker will receive up to $6.4 billion in grants under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at bolstering US semiconductor production to 20 per cent of the world’s leading-edge chips by the end of the decade.

The funding will support Samsung Electronics’ chip production facilities in Taylor and Austin, Texas, alongside other research centres and packaging facilities, reports Yonhap news agency

This positions Samsung Electronics as the third-largest beneficiary of the US CHIPS Act programme, following Intel with up to $8.5 billion in grants and $11 billion in loans, and Taiwan’s TSMC with up to $6.6 billion in grants and about $5 billion in loans.

At the same time, Samsung will increase its investment in its semiconductor plants in Texas to more than $40 billion from $17 billion.

The additional investment will include the construction of one more semiconductor production facility in addition to the existing plant in Taylor, as well as advanced packaging and research and development (R&D) facilities.

Experts pointed out Samsung’s production capabilities as a world-leading semiconductor producer and commitment to the US investment have led to the third-biggest subsidy deal with Washington.

“Samsung Electronics seems to have been evaluated better than its competitors by the US government in terms of its future investment plans, scale and company value,” Kim Yang-paeng, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Economics and Trade, said.

“The US grants will help the company reduce the amount of its own money used to invest directly in overseas expansion. It’s good for Samsung Electronics,” he added.

It will also be possible for the South Korean chipmaker to expand participation in the advanced semiconductor supply chain through local production in the United States, where global big tech companies are located.

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Samsung’s Bold Bet on AI TV

Samsung is optimistic about the TV business in 2024, citing increased demand for premium TVs from MZ consumers….reports Asian Lite News

Samsung on Wednesday said that it is targeting Rs 10,000 crore revenue from its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Neo QLED, OLED TV business in India.

Samsung ended 2023 with a 21 per cent volume market share and this year it is looking to further consolidate its leadership with the launch of AI TVs, the company said.

“For the first time, we have a very clear twin strategy on premium, the highest or the largest range as far as the consumer is concerned and with that, we are also looking at targeting unprecedented Rs 10,000 crore revenue in 2024,” said Mohandeep Singh, Senior VP, Visual Display Business, Samsung India.

The television market in India has been slow, with Counterpoint Research reporting a 16 per cent drop in shipments last year.

However, Samsung is optimistic about the TV business in 2024, citing increased demand for premium TVs from MZ consumers.

As per analysts, no TV brand in the country has achieved the Rs 10,000 crore revenue milestone before.

Samsung has launched its ultra-premium Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K and OLED TVs in the country to consolidate its leadership in the TV business.

According to the company, its new range of premium TVs is designed to boost consumers’ home entertainment experience with powerful, AI-driven solutions.

Meanwhile, Samsung on Wednesday said that it has developed the industry’s first low-power double data rate 5X (LPDDR5X) DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chip, a memory solution tailored for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

The new chip supports the industry’s highest performance of up to 10.7 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), improving performance by over 25 per cent and capacity by more than 30 per cent compared with the previous generation, according to the company.

Low-power, high-performance LPDDR chips are playing a growing role in the rapidly expanding market for on-device AI, where AI runs on the device itself, reports Yonhap News Agency.

As per Samsung, its latest LPDDR5X products were leveraged with 12 nanometer-class process technology to achieve the smallest chip size among existing LPDDR chips, helping the company solidify its technological leadership in the low-power DRAM market.

“Samsung will continue to innovate and deliver optimised products for the upcoming on-device AI era through close collaboration with customers,” the company said.

Mass production of the LPDDR5X is scheduled to begin by the second half of the year, following verification by providers of mobile application processors and mobile devices, the company mentioned.

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Samsung’s Premiumisation Drive in India

According to him, 52 per cent is the growth of the industry for 5G and Samsung is going ahead of the industry right now….reports Asian Lite News

With a focus on premiumisation, Samsung will be able to drive further growth this year again in India, Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President (VP) and Head of MX Business at Samsung India, said on Sunday.

According to him, 52 per cent is the growth of the industry for 5G and Samsung is going ahead of the industry right now.

“We see that the industry contribution for 5G is about 52 per cent and we are going ahead of the industry right now. We see that this year again, with a focus on premiumisation, we will be able to drive the growth still further,” Pullan told IANS during an interaction.

According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung took the top spot in India in 2023 with 18 per cent market share.

In addition, Pullan mentioned that they have got one of the largest portfolios of 5G at Samsung.

“With the launch of Galaxy A35 and A55, we will have almost 20 running models, and we will continue to drive the overall 5G segment by launching newer products with distinctively unique propositions for the consumers in India,” he added.

5G smartphone shipments in India grew at 67 per cent (year-over-year) in 2023, led by Samsung with a share of 23 per cent, according to CyberMedia Research (CMR).

The growth of mobile phone production in India over a decade is being described as an unmatched success story in the manufacturing sector.

While 78 per cent of all the mobile phones sold in the country in 2014 were imported, about 97 per cent of the mobile phones are now manufactured in India.

According to the industry body, India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), mobile phone production, in value terms has surged from Rs 18,900 crore in 2014-15 to an estimated Rs 4.10 lakh crore in FY24, registering over 20 fold increase.

Cumulatively, over 245 crore mobile phone sets have been produced in India during the last 10 years.

In 2014-15, mobile phone exports from India were a mere Rs 1,556 crore.

The industry expects to end FY24 with an estimated export of Rs 1,20,000 crore. Driven by this export growth, mobile phones have now become India’s fifth largest export as an individual commodity.

This exponential growth in production, exports and self-sufficiency stems from a conducive policy environment, and a close working relationship between industry and key government Ministries such as the Ministry of Electronics & IT, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, NITI Aayog and the PMO, the experts said.

In May 2017, the government announced the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) initiative to promote the domestic production of mobile handsets. It helped in building a robust indigenous mobile manufacturing ecosystem in the country and incentivised large-scale manufacturing.

From just two mobile phone factories in 2014, India now has become the second largest mobile phone producer in the world.

According to experts, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Large-Scale Electronics Manufacturing (LSEM) and for IT hardware is advancing towards making India a competitive destination for electronics manufacturing.

The PLI scheme offers incentives ranging from 3 per cent to 5 per cent of the incremental sales value for a stipulated period to eligible players.

The PLI scheme has attracted leading global contract manufacturers, including Foxconn, Pegatron, Rising Star and Wistron, to set up a production base in India.

Samsung on the other hand, operates the world’s largest mobile phone factory in Noida.

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Samsung Chairman Advocates Bold Investments

Samsung has been building an additional production line in the region with a budget of 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) since 2022…reports Asian Lite News

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has emphasised the importance of “bold” investments during a visit to Samsung SDI’s battery production line in Malaysia, the company said on Monday.

The visit was made in Lee’s first overseas trip since he was cleared of all charges in a court ruling on the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates allegedly conducted to help him take over control of South Korea’s biggest conglomerate.

“We should not be focusing solely on short-term performances, but rather lead changes by rolling out bold challenges,” Lee was quoted by Samsung Electronics as saying during the visit to the factory in Seremban, 65 kms south of Kuala Lumpur.

Samsung has been building an additional production line in the region with a budget of 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) since 2022, reports Yonhap news agency.

Lee also visited Kuala Lumpur to check local consumers’ responses to the company’s latest Galaxy S24 smartphone, the company added.

Last week, prosecutors appealed a recent court acquittal of Samsung Chairman Jae-yong in a controversial Samsung affiliate merger case.

The prosecution had demanded a five-year prison sentence for the chief of South Korea’s largest conglomerate.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s fourth-quarter operating profit sank 34.4 per cent from a year earlier due largely to sluggish semiconductor business but its memory chip segment turned to the black on recovering demand.

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Samsung, Blinkit Deliver Galaxy S24 in a Flash!

The collaboration with Blinkit will help Samsung cater to the huge demand for its flagship S24 series in the country….reports Asian Lite News

Samsung on Thursday announced a tie-up with quick-commerce platform Blinkit to deliver its newly launched Galaxy S24 series in India.

Customers living in Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai can order Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 smartphones on Blinkit and get the phone delivered in less than 10 minutes, the company said.

According to the company, the collaboration with Blinkit will help Samsung cater to the huge demand for its flagship S24 series in the country.

People purchasing the Galaxy S24 series on Blinkit can avail an instant cashback of Rs 5,000 if the purchase is done through HDFC Bank credit card.

Samsung has secured record pre-bookings for the Galaxy S24 series, making it the most successful S series ever. More than 250,000 customers pre-booked a Galaxy S24 smartphone in just three days since January 18, the company stated.

The sale of the Galaxy S24 devices will begin from January 31.

The ’Made in India’ Galaxy S24 series comes with Live Translate, Interpreter, Chat Assist, Note Assist and Transcript Assist features.

AI built into Samsung Keyboard can also translate messages in real-time in 13 languages, including Hindi.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet and Titanium Black colours starts from Rs 129,999 (12GB+256GB variant). The 12GB+512GB variant costs Rs 139,999 and the 12GB+1TB model of Galaxy S24 Ultra will come at Rs 159,999.

The Galaxy S24+ in Cobalt Violet and Onyx Black colours starts from Rs 99,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant and the 12GB+512GB variant will come for Rs 109,999.

The Galaxy S24 in Amber Yellow, Cobalt Violet and Onyx Black colours begins from Rs 79,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant and Rs 89,999 for the 8GB+512GB model.

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S24 Ultra Redefines Experience with AI

It is heartening to see that the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 6.8-inch flatter display has turned its focus back on the phone’s most fundamental role: communication…reports Asian Lite News

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here and when it comes to devices around us, the role of this new technology to boost productivity, creativity and overall daily-life experiences is now being explored by various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). For the record, Samsung has taken a leap with its new ‘Galaxy AI phones’.

From breaking language barriers with AI-driven text and call translations to maximising creativity with its ‘ProVisual Engine’ that comes with AI-powered tools for images, the new Galaxy S24 Ultra has gone beyond incremental changes we have been witnessing in premium smartphones lately.

With the gesture-driven ‘Circle to Search’ feature with Google, the company has transformed the way online searches for shopping, travel and other tasks are done.

It is heartening to see that the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 6.8-inch flatter display has turned its focus back on the phone’s most fundamental role: communication.

With the ‘Live Translate’ feature, you can chat with another student or colleague from abroad without any language concern.

You can book an Uber or a dinner reservation at your favourite restaurant while on vacation in another country where language can be a problem.

The ‘Live Translate’ is a two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls within the native app. No third-party apps are required, and on-device AI keeps conversations completely private, according to Samsung.

Galaxy S24 series marks a milestone in the history of search as the first phone to debut intuitive, gesture-driven ‘Circle to Search’ with Google.

With a long press on the home button, you can circle, highlight, scribble on or tap anything on Galaxy S24 Ultra’s screen to see helpful, high-quality search results.

If you see a friend wearing a stunning jacket, you can just focus on the jacket, use the ‘Circle to Search’ feature and the AI-driven search will offer multiple options when to buy that jacket from online, without having to leave the app.

Depending on your location, for certain searches, generative AI-powered overviews can provide helpful information and context pulled together from across the web, and you can ask more complex and nuanced questions.

With the ‘Interpreter’ feature, live conversations can be instantly translated on a split-screen view so people standing opposite each other can read a text transcription of what the other person has said. The feature even works without cellular data or Wi-Fi.

For messages and other apps, the ‘Chat Assist’ feature can help perfect conversational tones to ensure communication sounds as it was intended: like a polite message to a coworker or a short and catchy phrase for a social media caption.

AI built into Samsung Keyboard can also translate messages in real time in 13 languages.

The Indian organisations will also get a big boost with ‘Note Assist’ in Samsung Notes, featuring AI-generated summaries, template creation that streamlines notes with pre-made formats and cover creation to make notes easy to spot with a brief preview.

For voice recordings, when there are multiple speakers, the ‘Transcript Assist’ feature uses AI and speech-to-text technology to transcribe, summarise and even translate recordings.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform. The device offers superior usability and faster and smoother gameplay, alongside the Ray tracing module for a more immersive gaming experience.

Galaxy S24 Ultra design utilised titanium for the first time for a premium feel and enhanced durability. The thinnest model yet, the device features a flat front edge display compatible with the S Pen and a more vivid and durable screen with even bezels.

Now comes to the camera. The ‘ProVisual Engine’ is a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools that transforms image capturing abilities and maximises creative freedom, taking care of shaky, pixelated images taken from far away.

Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Quad Tele System, with new 5x optical zoom lens, works with the 50MP sensor to enable optical-quality performance at zoom levels from 2x, 3x, 5x to 10×10 magnification, thanks to Adaptive Pixel Sensor. Images also show crystal clear results at 100x with enhanced digital zoom.

With upgraded Nightography capabilities, you will find that photos and videos shot on Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Space Zoom are brilliant in any condition, even when zoomed in.

You will also be able to capture more light in dim conditions with Galaxy S24 Ultra’s larger pixel size, now 1.4 micrometre, which is 60 per cent bigger compared to S23 Ultra.

Blur is reduced on Galaxy S24 Ultra with wider optical image stabiliser (OIS) angles and enhanced hand-shake compensation.

When recording videos, both front and rear cameras are equipped with ‘Dedicated ISP Block’ for noise reduction.

To give you even more creative freedom, ‘Generative Edit’ can fill in parts of an image background with generative AI.

When a picture is crooked, AI will fill in the borders. When an object needs to be slightly moved to be in the perfect position, AI will let you adjust the position of the subject and generate a perfectly blended background in its original spot.

For gamers, Galaxy S24 Ultra offers an optimal thermal control system with a 1.9 times larger vapour chamber, improving device surface temperature.

The Corning Gorilla Armor display is optically enhanced and demonstrates superior durability against damage caused by everyday scratches.

In India, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet and Titanium Black colours starts from Rs 129,999 (12GB+256GB variant).

The 12GB+512GB variant costs Rs 139,999 and 12GB+1TB model of Galaxy S24 Ultra will come at Rs 159,999.

In India, customers pre-booking Galaxy S24 Ultra get benefits worth Rs 22,000 and the effective price can go pretty low with device upgrade and other offers.

Conclusion: In a saturated smartphone market, Galaxy S24 Ultra promises fresh air, with practical, real-life use cases of AI that will make your life easy.

Remember: The primary use of a smartphone is to communicate and Galaxy S24 Ultra does exactly that with the help of AI, in a much smarter way.

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Indian Talent Drives Samsung’s AI

The SRI-B engineers have made significant contributions to the development of key features in the Galaxy S24 camera, and language AI….reports Asian Lite News

As Samsung doubles down on infusing artificial intelligence (AI) into its flagship devices, its research and development team in India has been contributing significantly to create ‘AI phones’ of the future, a top company executive said here on Thursday.

Samsung R&D Institute India – Bangalore (SRI-B), the company’s largest software R&D centre outside South Korea, has been contributing to the development of breakthrough innovations in Galaxy series by closely collaborating with Korean teams and other overseas R&D centres like Samsung Research America (SRA).

The SRI-B engineers have made significant contributions to the development of key features in the Galaxy S24 camera, and language AI.

According to Won-joon Choi, Executive Vice President at Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, they have seen significant contributions from the engineers from overseas R&D centres.

“Especially this time around, we have had a big contribution from the Samsung India R&D centre. Their role has been in developing the camera solutions but this time, it was much beyond the camera functions,” Choi told IANS during an interaction here.

He said that the India team has developed solutions for the language AI, which has been “a big contribution from the Indian R&D centre”.

Galaxy S24 series enhances and redefines the phone’s most fundamental role: communication with Live Translate, two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls within the native app.

In camera, the SRI-B engineers have focused on continuous R&D efforts to enhance the smartphone photography experience in every flagship device.

To enhance the Galaxy’s One UI experience, the SRI-B engineers have contributed to On Device Intelligence Powered Personalisation, Productivity & Automation features which provide convenience in consumers’ daily lives.

According to Choi, their most important objective is to make sure that they develop responsible AI.

“This means to filter out any output that has biased language or explicit language. To achieve this, we apply strict rules internally and we also have strong cooperation with our partners to make sure that we can apply the safety rules on the output produced by the AI,” he informed.

“We also need to make sure that people can differentiate between images that are AI generated and human created. For the AI-generated images, we will put watermarks either on the image or in the metadata,” added Choi, who has dual roles as the head of flagship product R&D team and the head of technology strategy team.

Privacy has been a very important aspect in developing Galaxy AI.

“As we launch ‘AI phones’, we want to make sure that we are not using user data or personal data for training the AI models. Such data will not be used for any purposes without the user consent,” said Choi.

Pre-order Galaxy S24 Now

Samsung on Thursday opened pre-bookings for its latest ‘Made in India’ Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 smartphones in the country that are powered by industry-first artificial intelligence (AI) features. The sale of the new devices will begin from January 31.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet and Titanium Black colours starts from Rs 129,999 (12GB+256GB variant).

The 12GB+512GB variant costs Rs 139,999 and 12GB+1TB model of Galaxy S24 Ultra will come at Rs 159,999.

The Galaxy S24+ in Cobalt Violet and Onyx Black colours starts from Rs 99,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant and the 12GB+512GB variant will come for Rs 109,999.

Customers pre-booking Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S24+ will get a pre-booking benefit worth Rs 22,000, said the company.

Meanwhile, Galaxy S24 in Amber Yellow, Cobalt Violet and Onyx Black colours begins from Rs 79,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant and Rs 89,999 for the 8GB+512GB model.

Customers pre-booking Galaxy S24 will get a pre-booking benefit worth Rs 15,000, according to Samsung.

“With Galaxy S24 series, we are bringing the power of artificial intelligence into the hands of the Indian consumers who can create, play, connect and find a new way to live. I am happy to announce that the Galaxy S24 series will be manufactured at our Noida factory in India,” said JB Park, President and CEO of Samsung India.

“We are the fastest growing smartphone brand in the premium segment in India. I am confident that India will be at the forefront of embracing the AI revolution by upgrading to Galaxy S24 series,” Park added.

TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, said that customers are eager to try new technologies and AI is no exception.

“We welcome you into the new era of AI. I am confident that the Galaxy S24 series will transform the everyday life experiences for the Indian consumers,” he said.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 6.8-inch flatter display is the first-ever Galaxy phone to feature a titanium frame, enhancing device durability and longevity.

Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform which aims to deliver remarkable NPU improvement for incredibly efficient AI processing.

The Corning Gorilla Armor display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is optically enhanced and demonstrates superior durability against damage caused by everyday scratches.

Galaxy S24 series enhances and redefines the phone’s most fundamental role: communication with Live Translate, two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls within the native app.

Galaxy S24 series also marks a milestone in the history of search as the first phone to debut intuitive, gesture-driven Circle to Search with Google.

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Google Cloud AI to power new Samsung phones

Qualcomm announced its premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy is powering latest flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra globally and Galaxy S24 Plus and S24 in select regions...reports Asian Lite News

Samsung and Google Cloud have announced a new, multi-year partnership to bring Google Cloud’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology to its smartphones, starting with the new Galaxy S24 series.

Samsung will be the first Google Cloud partner to deploy Gemini Pro and Imagen 2 on Vertex AI via the cloud to their smartphone devices. “We’re thrilled that the Galaxy S24 series is the first smartphone equipped with Gemini Pro and Imagen 2 on Vertex AI,” said Janghyun Yoon, Corporate EVP and Head of Software Office of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung. Gemini can generalise and seamlessly understand, operate across, and combine different types of information including text, code, images, and video. Starting with Samsung-native applications, users can take advantage of the summarization feature across Notes, Voice Recorder, and Keyboard. Gemini Pro on Vertex AI provides Samsung with critical Google Cloud features, including security, safety, privacy, and data compliance.

Galaxy S24 series users can also immediately benefit from Imagen 2, Google’s most advanced text-to-image diffusion technology from Google DeepMind to date. With Imagen 2 on Vertex AI, Samsung can bring safe and intuitive photo-editing capabilities into users’ hands. These features can be found in Generative Edit2 in S24’s Gallery application. “With Gemini, Samsung’s developers can leverage Google Cloud’s world-class infrastructure, cutting-edge performance, and flexibility to deliver safe, reliable, and engaging generative AI powered applications on Samsung smartphone devices,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. Meanwhile, chip giant Qualcomm announced its premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy is powering latest flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra globally and Galaxy S24 Plus and S24 in select regions.

“Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy instills its advanced AI capabilities in the Galaxy S24 series, to enable new experiences with AI features to empower users’ everyday life,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handset, Qualcomm. It also fuels advanced professional-quality camera, gaming experiences and ultra-fast connectivity including Wi-Fi 7, he added.

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Apple Reclaims the Crown

Samsung, which has been the global smartphone leader for years, slipped to the second spot with 19.5 per cent market share….reports Asian Lite News

Apple became the leader of the global smartphone industry in 2023 for the first time, driven by an all-time high, 20.1 per cent market share for the company, a new report said on Tuesday.

Samsung, which has been the global smartphone leader for years, slipped to the second spot with 19.5 per cent market share.

The global smartphone shipments declined 3.2 per cent year over year to 1.17 billion units in 2023, according to the report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

“Not only is Apple the only player in the Top 3 to show positive growth annually, but also bags the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever,” said Nabila Popal, said research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team.

Apple achieved this fest despite facing increased regulatory challenges and renewed competition from Huawei in China, its largest market.

“Apple’s ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20 per cent of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans,” Popal added.

The overall shift in ranking at the top of the market further highlights the intensity of competition within the smartphone market.

“Apple certainly played a part in Samsung’s drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s IDC’s Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. Chinese brand Xiaomi was third with 12.5 per cent share globally, said the report.

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