The Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to a sleep apnea detection feature on Galaxy Watch devices in the US, Samsung has revealed. The company notes this is the first approval of its kind in the US — South Korean officials previously rubberstamped the feature for use in that country.
Samsung plans to add the sleep apnea monitoring tool to compatible Galaxy Watch wearables in the third quarter of this year. It will be available via the Samsung Health Monitor app.
The feature allows those aged 22 and older who have not been diagnosed with the condition to check for signs of sleep apnea using their smartwatch and phone. It looks for signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) over a two-night monitoring period. Users will need to track their sleep for more than four hours twice over a ten-day period to use the feature.
OSA is a common, chronic condition that affects around 25 percent of men and a tenth of women in the US, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Those with the condition tend to stop breathing while they sleep, which can reduce their sleep quality, disrupt oxygen supply and lead to more daytime tiredness. Left untreated, "sleep apnea can compound the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia and stroke," Samsung notes. The company added that the feature should help more people detect moderate and severe forms of the condition, and for them to seek medical advice when they do.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-gets-fda-approval-for-a-sleep-apnea-feature-on-galaxy-watch-172856948.html?src=rss
CRKD, makers of the beloved Nitro Deck controller for Nintendo Switch, launched a new gamepad on Thursday that resembles what a modern-day NES controller might look like. The wireless CRKD Neo S has Hall effect thumbsticks, swappable stick tops and a $50 retail price. It works with Switch, PCs, mobile devices, and smart TVs.
The Bluetooth gamepad carries over much of what made the Nitro Deck feel like the Switch’s “true and final form.” It includes two thumbsticks (both Hall effect-enabled with swappable tops), a D-pad, four action buttons, triggers, mappable back buttons and adjustable vibration.
The CRKD Neo S ships in various creative designs and colorways, several of which tap into Nintendo nostalgia. For example, the gold hue looks similar to Nintendo’s Game & Watch and original Famicom with a familiar red-and-gold color scheme. Meanwhile, the clear Neo S calls back to the transparent variants of the Nintendo 64 controller and Game Boy Color portable console.
We wanted a unique, premium & collectible controller... So, we made it.
👋 Meet NEO S, The Wireless Collectible Controller.
Three variants (blossom, splatter, and junkyard) were designed by CRKD’s creative director, POPeART. His work is inspired by the traditional Japanese aesthetic wabi-sabi, which is based on the principles of imperfection, impermanence and incompletion. Or, as POPeArt puts it, “Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”
CRKD, which describes the controller as a “statement” and an “art piece,” hopes you’ll buy the Neo S not only for playing games but also as a collectible. In addition to the bold designs (nine will be available at launch), the company’s mobile app will track your registered products, provide digital proof of ownership and display the accessory’s “rarity rank.” As fetching as the designs may be, it remains to be seen how many gamers will go for a marketing tactic designed to get you to buy extra controllers as a hobby.
Each Neo S variant costs $50. At the time of publication, they’re slated to ship in April. The controller is available for pre-order on CRKD’s website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/crkds-follow-up-to-the-nitro-deck-is-the-nes-style-neo-s-controller-211222823.html?src=rss
Disney will invest $1.5 billion in Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, the company announced on Wednesday. As part of the initiative, Disney and Epic Games will create a brand new “games and entertainment universe” over the next few years, Disney said in a statement.
“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disneys beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games an entertainment universe,” wrote Disney CEO Bob Iger in the statement. “This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion.”
Players will be able to “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more” in the new entertainment universe, which will be powered by Epic’s flagship Unreal Engine. Disney currently uses Unreal Engine to produce movies, video games, and content used in Disney theme parks around the world. It has also partnered with Epic Games previously to bring characters from Marvel, Tron, and Star Wars to Fortnite.
Neither company disclosed how much the valuation of Epic Games, a private company, would be after Disney's investment. Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent currently owns 40 percent of Epic Games, while Sony owns just over 5 percent.
“[We] are collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities,” said Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in the statement. “Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite[.]”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/disney-is-investing-15-billion-in-epic-games-to-create-a-games-and-entertainment-universe-215015443.html?src=rss
Insomniac Games has long-promised a New Game+ mode for its hit superhero sim Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and it’s arriving on March 7. The mode was supposed to drop at the tail-end of 2023, but was delayed until 2024. The forthcoming update won’t just be about New Game+, as Insomniac promises “new suits and more.”
We don’t exactly know what the mode will look like, as the developer urges players to keep an eye on its social media accounts “for a complete list of features closer to release.” However, we can glean some information from the New Game+ option that’s currently available for the original game. This mode lets players restart the story while holding on to items they found during the previous run. It’s possible the New Game+ for Spider-Man 2 will offer more than that, as the developer has advertised that “many more” features will soon arrive for the open-world web-slinging adventure.
The game also currently lacks audio descriptions, which is an accessibility feature intended for players who are blind or have low vision. This is coming, but we don’t know if it’ll be included with March’s update.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 lets you swap between protagonists Peter Parker and Miles Morales with the push of a button. It’s widely regarded as being the rare sequel that’s both bigger and better than the original. We admired the incredibly fun traversal mechanics, engaging open world and the game’s satisfying story. The PS5 exclusive quickly became the fastest-selling first-party title in PlayStation history, with more than 2.5 million copies sold in one day.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spider-man-2s-delayed-new-game-mode-is-coming-on-march-7-193543918.html?src=rss
It might be weird to see a new device call back to a time less than a decade ago. But tech moves fast and with the OnePlus 12, it feels like someone made a phone for the pre-AI era. Instead of magic editors and a bunch of machine learning, OnePlus’ latest flagship is incredibly simple. It has a nice screen, a solid build, reliable cameras, great performance and even better battery life. So while it won’t help you summarize a meeting or remaster a photo, the OP12 covers all the basics with aplomb. And with a starting price of $800 ($200 less than a similarly equipped S24+), it’s a great deal too.
Design and display: A old-school silhouette with modern specs
The shape of the OnePlus 12 seems to be inspired by older phones like the Galaxy S10+, featuring tapered edges and rounded corners. This makes the phone very comfortable to hold, the downside is that there is some distortion around the screen where it curves. Thankfully, OnePlus’ 6.8-inch 3,168 x 1440 panel looks so good you may not notice. It features a nominal peak brightness of 1,600 nits that can go all the way up to 4,500 nits in certain situations (like direct sunlight), so it never looks dull or washed out. The screen also supports a 120Hz variable refresh alongside a new 2,610Hz PWM (pulse width modulation) technique to help prevent the screen from flickering when set to very low brightness (under 70 nits).
Around back there’s a huge and somewhat ungainly camera module surrounded by a sheet of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 with a lovely matte finish. It’s more textured than your typical frosted glass but not as scratchy as the company’s old-school sandstone backs and it feels so good I would have a hard time covering it with a case. The OP12 also sports an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance, which isn’t quite as good as what you get from rival Samsung and Google phones. However, this is the highest rating ever on a OnePlus and it’s still more than enough to handle things like rain and splashes. And unlike most handsets these days, OnePlus included an IR blaster so you can easily adjust settings on your TV or soundbar without needing a dedicated remote.
Performance: Super speedy
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While the OP12 may have a nostalgic design, its performance is as good as it gets for Android handsets. It features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip along with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. Despite some underwhelming benchmarks (which other outlets have also encountered), the phone feels incredibly fluid. Flipping between apps is super smooth while games load and play without a hint of stuttering. To help ensure frequently used apps are always at the ready, OnePlus has a memory optimization feature that can keep up to six apps suspended in the background for up to 72 hours, so you don’t need to reload your favorite game unnecessarily.
Cameras: Hasselblad’s bulky module delivers
The OP12’s triple-lens setup holds up well against the Galaxy S24 family with a 50-MP main cam, a 48-MP ultra-wide and a 64-MP telephoto camera. During the daytime, photos were bright and lively and I appreciate OnePlus’ more neutral white balance compared to Samsung’s warmer tones. At night, while images were just a touch softer and darker than comparison shots I took using the S24 Ultra, they weren’t far behind. Finally, using the 3x telephoto camera I managed to capture a very sharp picture of a squirrel despite its best efforts to dart away. Just make sure you disable the option to add a Hasselblad watermark to your photos the first time you launch the camera app.
Battery life and charging: The best yet
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
One of the best things about the OnePlus 12 is its battery life and charging speeds. On our local video rundown test, the phone’s 5,400 mAh cell lasted 26 hours and 40 minutes, which is the longest time we’ve seen on any handset. That’s more than two hours longer than the S24 Ultra (24:29) and a more than six hour improvement on last year’s OP11 (19:45).
OnePlus proprietary charging tech also delivers breakneck wired and wireless charging speeds. When using its included power brick and cable, the phone went from 10 to 55 percent battery in just 10 minutes. Alternatively, when placed on the company’s wireless pad (which is available separately for $50), the OP12 went from 10 to 37 percent battery in 10 minutes. To put that into context, when I performed the same test with the S24U, it only managed to go from 10 to 30 percent battery in 10 minutes using a Samsung charger and a compatible cable. Unfortunately, you’ll only get those speeds with OnePlus’ first-party accessories, so if you use standard USB-PD or Qi chargers, things are slower.
Wrap-up
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Compared to other big-name phones that are turning to AI to improve their capabilities, the OnePlus 12 is an uncomplicated device that combines good hardware with a solid build. It has a large, punchy display with great performance and unparalleled battery life. And while OnePlus does plan on adding AI features via future software updates, the 12 doesn’t need them to offer a compelling package. And with a starting price of $800, it’s $200 cheaper than an equivalent Galaxy S24+ and that’s before you consider OnePlus’ offer that knocks off another $100 with the trade-in of any phone, regardless of age or condition. In a world where smartphones are becoming increasingly complex, the OnePlus 12 is a straightforward alternative that handles all the most important things with ease.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/oneplus-12-review-a-no-nonsense-flagship-for-a-great-price-180050960.html?src=rss
The production pipeline for mainstream video games has always been hectic. The AAA factory is powered by rigid marketing plans and periods of soul-sucking crunch, and while this process has resulted in incredible games over the years, it's also been detrimental to developers' mental health and long-term job stability. Layoffs have long been baked into the video game industry, but in recent months, this trend has been running in overdrive, and it's happening at studios of all sizes.
This week's stories
Kojima Films
Hideo Kojima is partnering with Sony to build a new game that’s actually more like a movie. Of course, you could say this about any of Kojima’s games since Snatcher, but this time around, he’s doing the Hollywood thing on purpose. The new project is codenamed PHYSINT., and it’s a return to Kojima’s action-espionage roots, but it’s definitely not Metal Gear. Apparently it’s going to blur the boundaries between film and games, and it’ll take advantage of Sony’s connections in movies and music. Kojima Productions will start working on the new IP after finishing Death Stranding 2, which is set to come out in 2025. Kojima is also building OD, an Xbox movie — sorry, game — made in collaboration with horror director Jordan Peele.
Xbox on other platforms
It looks like Xbox is preparing to release some of its exclusive titles on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. A handful of reports rolled out this week suggesting Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Sea of Thieves and Gears of War are all slated to hit PS5 or Switch in the near future. Xbox head Phil Spencer neither confirmed nor denied the reports, and instead teased an event next week that should clarify the studio’s multiplatform plans.
Layoffs in 2024
Both Sony and Microsoft have delivered their first showcases of 2024, highlighting all of the big, shiny games coming out soon, like Hellblade 2, Avowed, the Silent Hill 2 remake and Stellar Blade. The trailers for these titles are as vibrant as ever and the marketing beats are just as breathless — but, man, it’s really hard to get excited about video games right now. Rampant layoffs have cast a shadow over the industry, and even if 2024 turns out to be a banner year for video game debuts, it still feels shitty.
In the first month of 2024, an estimated 6,000 people in the video game industry lost their jobs. This figure is steadily climbing and it’s building on a rash of layoffs in 2023, when an estimated 10,500 video game jobs were cut. I don’t want to just drop these numbers without context — 2022 saw about 8,500 layoffs and this was considered terrible. 2023 eclipsed this total and, just six weeks in, 2024 is on track to do the same.
Here are some stats from January alone: Riot Games laid off 530 people, or about 11 percent of its workforce, and closed down its experimental publishing label. Devolver Digital laid off 28 people at Artificer, a team it purchased in 2021. Dead by Daylight studio Behaviour Interactive lost 45 people. Sega of America fired 61 workers. Microsoft laid off nearly 2,000 employees across Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Xbox the same week that it became a $3 trillion company. Unity plans to drop 1,800 employees by March, and this is on top of the 1,000 jobs that the studio eliminated in 2023. Embracer Group gutted the team behind Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and laid off 97 people at Eidos Montreal, canceling a new Deus Ex game in the process. The holding company already terminated about 1,000 jobs in 2023 and its restructuring efforts are expected to last until March.
Recent layoffs have affected studios of all sizes, and they’re happening even as the industry’s leading companies grow financially. If it sounds like I’m repeating myself, that’s because I am — I reported on the layoffs crisis at the end of last year, and things have only become more concerning in the first weeks of 2024. The video game industry received an influx of attention and cash during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and today’s layoffs are a response to a period of unchecked growth and corporate consolidation.
All of this instability provides an unsettling backdrop for the hype coming out of the video game industry this year. It’s tough to get excited about Xbox’s Avowed when we know people lost their jobs during production, and it’s hard to enjoy Devolver’s next edgy showcase when it just downsized a studio it didn’t need to buy in the first place.
At the same time, we’re seeing how unionization can help protect the people who make video games. Though dozens of people lost their jobs at Sega of America this year, the studio’s AEGIS-CWA union negotiated to save some roles and offer severance to temp workers. Unionization efforts have been on the rise since 2021, and the appeal of collective bargaining is only clarifying as the firing squads take aim.
Through our union efforts, we’ve been able to more than double the number of saved jobs, and to offer severance to our temp workers.
The futuristic action-RPG Stellar Blade is coming out on April 26, exclusive to PS5.
Dave the Diver, the pixelated non-indie game that somehow got nominated for Indie Game of the Year, is coming to PS4 and PS5 in April, and it’ll get Godzilla DLC in May.
Johanna Faries has replaced Mike Ybarra as the president of Blizzard. Ybarra quit during Microsoft’s downsizing in January, and Faries was previously the head of Call of Duty under Activision.
Now Playing
Now that I can actually talk about it, I want to say that Persona 3 Reload is absolutely delicious. The Morning After host Mat Smith wrote our review, go give it a read if you’re a freak like us.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/layoffs-are-sucking-the-joy-out-of-video-games--this-weeks-gaming-news-174541450.html?src=rss
The latest beta update for the PlayStation 5 will make it easier to hear what's going on in your game. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has announced the software update, which will enable DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controllers to produce louder audio so that you can hear in-game sounds and audio chats more clearly.
In addition to giving controllers the ability to produce louder sounds, the update also gives their noise cancellation feature a boost. Sony's announcement says the controllers now have better mic input, thanks to a new AI machine learning model. It'll give PS5's system the ability to suppress background noises, such as the game audio itself, allowing your voice to go through clearly and improving the quality of voice chats as a whole.
The update brings non-sound-related improvements to the PS5, as well, including the option to adjust the console's power indicator under "Beep and Light" in System Settings. Plus, it will give you access to Share Screen tools that you can use as a viewer to interact with the host's gameplay. Want to catch the host's attention and make them notice a certain element in the game? There's a pointer you can move around or use to draw a line on the display and highlight objects in game. You'll also be able to send the host's screen emoji reactions. These new interactive tools for the Share Screen are enabled by default, but you can always switch them off in settings. Take note that they will only work if both you and the host already have access to the beta features. At the moment, the upgrades are only rolling out to select users in certain countries, but SIE plans to release them to all PS5 gamers around the world in the coming months.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonys-latest-ps5-beta-update-gives-dualsense-controllers-better-audio-113529372.html?src=rss
Let’s break down the cost. A 30-day subscription to the game will set you back $15, while 90 days costs $42 and 180 days comes out to $78. Xbox Game Pass Core costs $10 per month or $60 for a year. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $17 per month. So Xbox players will have to shell out a minimum of $18 each month and a maximum of $32 per month to travel the magical world of Eorzea. The download itself is free, for whatever that's worth.
This is slightly unusual for a couple of reasons. Back in April of 2021, Microsoft removed subscription requirements for free-to-play multiplayer games. Final Fantasy 14, however, is not quite free-to-play, though it’s free-to-download. Also, PlayStation players have long been able to adventure through the game without having to purchase a PlayStation Plus Subscription. To Sony, the game falls into the free-to-play category, but not for Microsoft.
It’s worth noting that the subscription requirement has been lifted for beta players. The open beta test for the Xbox Series X|S version of Final Fantasy 14 starts on February 21 at 12AM PT.
The full game will be released when the beta finishes up, but there’s no concrete information yet. It should be available by the time this summer’s Dawntrail expansion hits. The open beta’s reserved for new players, so you won’t be able to participate if you’ve already had access to a free trial or a license registered to your Square Enix account.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/final-fantasy-14-will-require-two-subscriptions-on-xbox-200108998.html?src=rss
Apple’s Vision Pro is here — along with a solid collection of third-party launch apps. Although there are some big-name omissions (Netflix, YouTube and Spotify), the headset already supports over a million compatible App Store apps, Apple’s first-party offerings and over 600 apps developed specifically for the “spatial computing” device. Here are the notable third-party Vision Pro apps you can install on day one.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft
Microsoft didn’t skimp on its entry into the Vision Pro era. Seven of the company’s Office apps are available to install on launch day. These include Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Loop.
The Windows maker added several tools unique to the mixed-reality headset. For example, Word has a focus mode to block out distractions, PowerPoint includes an immersive environment for practicing presentations in front of a virtual audience and Excel lets you quickly move documents to other apps using Vision Pro’s pinch-to-drag gesture.
Microsoft Teams uses Vision Pro’s “Persona” feature, which gives you a digital avatar. Persona matches your digital representation’s facial expressions to yours; this may give off uncanny valley vibes to your colleagues, but it could also make your virtual self appear more lifelike. In addition, Microsoft’s VisionOS apps include Copilot, the company’s generative AI assistant that can draft text, create summaries and generate PowerPoint presentations.
Disney+
Disney
Given Disney’s longstanding collaboration with Apple (Steve Jobs sat on the company’s board, and Bob Iger sat on Apple’s until 2019), perhaps it isn’t surprising Disney went all-out with its Vision Pro app.
The app lets you stream Disney+ content in one of four 3D virtual environments: the Disney+ Theater (inspired by Hollywood’s historic El Capitan), the Scare Floor from Monsters Inc., Tony Stark’s Avengers Tower and Luke Skywalker’s land speeder on Tatooine. Although we’ve seen virtual environments in countless Meta Quest (and other VR) streaming apps, Vision Pro’s higher resolution should make them feel more immersive.
Disney’s VisionOS app also includes a selection of supported 3D films. The library consists of “dozens of popular movies,” including Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Elemental and Encanto. (Disney promises the list will expand over time.) You can also buy or rent more 3D movies from the Apple TV apps’ Store tab.
Zoom
Zoom
Zoom is also an early Vision Pro supporter. Like Microsoft Teams, Zoom’s VisionOS app will use Apple’s Personas, displaying you in calls as a 3D virtual avatar that matches your facial expressions and hand movements. The company says you can scale the app’s spatial setup “to the perfect size,” ensuring you feel like you’re in the same room as your colleagues.
A future update to the Zoom app will add support for 3D object sharing, letting designers share and collaborate on 3D models in their virtual space. The app will also eventually include Zoom Team Chat and the ability to pin your fellow meeting participants in space around you. Zoom says the latter will help you “feel more connected to the people in the meeting.”
MLB and NBA
MLB
America’s second and third most popular sports leagues are represented on Vision Pro. The NBA app lets you stream up to five live broadcasts in multi-view while glancing at other game scores and stats off to the side. Meanwhile, the MLB app offers fully immersive environments, including a ballpark with a view from home plate and stats for each pitch. A future update (scheduled for around Opening Day) will add access to “additional MLB.TV content” for subscribers.
The world’s premier baseball league shared its enthusiasm for the app. “If there is an opportunity for a baseball fan to enjoy our sport on any given platform, then we need to have a presence where we can deliver unique storytelling experiences,” wrote MLB Deputy Commissioner Noah Garden.
Max
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max is available on Vision Pro, offering access to the streaming service’s movies, series, news and sports. The company says select titles will be available in 4K and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.
Like other VisionOS apps, Max will offer at least one virtual environment in which you can stream content: the Iron Throne room from Game Of Thrones and House of the Dragon. “The intricate Targaryen-era adornments will make fans feel like they’re watching the programming available on Max in Westeros during the height of their reign,” wrote HBO / Max Content Chair Casey Bloys.
Lowe’s Style Studio
Lowe's
Lowe’s will use the Vision Pro to make it easier to imagine ways to spend money in its stores. The Lowe’s Style Studio app lets headset owners “step into an immersive, interactive 3D kitchen scene,” allowing you to “experiment in ways that weren’t possible until now.” The idea is to inspire you by stepping into a virtual space “curated by Lowe’s professional designers” with hundreds of customizable real-world materials.
Game Room
Resolution Games
Stockholm-based studio Resolution Games launched the Game Room app, which lets you play tabletop classics in mixed reality or fully virtual environments. Games include chess, solitaire, hearts, yacht and (the Battleship-like) Sea Battle.
It supports one to four players in online play against foes using different Apple devices (not just fellow Vision Pro owners). It also supports single-player against AI opponents.
Other confirmed apps and games
Here are more highlights from Vision Pro’s collection of over 600 launch apps:
AmazeVR Concerts - Front-row virtual concerts
Animoog Galaxy - Create music in 3D space
Apple Arcade games(more than 250 games, including NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, Sonic Dream Team, and TMNT Splintered Fate)
Blackbox - Spatial puzzles
Box - Cloud file management and collaboration, including with 3D objects
CellWalk - Tour a bacteria cell
Complete HeartX - Anatomy, diagnoses and treatments
Decathlon - Shop in 3D
djay - Turntables and mixing
Exploring Mars - Explore Mars with NASA rovers
Fantastical - Calendar and tasks
Healium - Relax in nature scenes
IMAX - View 2D and 3D content
Insight Heart - Learn about the human heart
J.Crew Virtual Closet - Immersive shopping
JigSpace - Interactive presentations in 3D
Lego Builder’s Journey - Build with 3D LEGO bricks
Loóna - Relaxing 3D dioramas
Lungy: Spaces - Breathing exercises and meditation
MindNode - Mind maps in spatial reality
Mytheresa: Luxury Experience - Shopping with live consultations
Navi - Real-time translation with live captions
NowPlaying - A peek behind the music
Numerics - Live business widgets
Odio - Personal sound spaces
OmniFocus and OmniPlan - Project management visualizations
PGA Tour Vision - Immersive golf experience
Red Bull TV - 3D maps of races / immersive videos
Sky Guide and Night Sky - Your personal planetarium
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/here-are-the-most-useful-apple-vision-pro-apps-at-launch-222817206.html?src=rss
For its first phones of 2024, Samsung focused so much on its “Galaxy AI” features that, physically, the Galaxy S24 series doesn’t appear to be much different than the S23. Once again, the company's phones aren’t different enough to justify upgrading from their predecessors, especially knowing that the S23 series, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5 and Tab S9 will be getting at least some of these AI features later this year. There’s also competition from the Google Pixel 8 series, which offer many of the same new features from a more established AI company.
Still, that doesn’t mean we should dismiss the Galaxy S24 series altogether. Samsung’s AI efforts may be an indicator of smartphone features to come. Even when compared to the Pixel 8s, Samsung’s Galaxy AI has its perks, particularly with real-time translation in voice calls and the option to change the tone of your writing. In places where Google's Pixel is not available, Samsung has an opportunity to capture an audience that's curious about generative AI on phones. The question is: has Samsung done a good job at integrating these AI tools into its smartphone line?
Design and display
Compared to last year's S23 series, this year's flagships are basically the same, save for some new colors — I received the S24 in “Marble Gray” and the S24+ in “Cobalt Violet.” With the S24 and S24+ side by side, you’ll notice the lowered LED flash on the back, along with the frame’s cleaner layout with a new matte finish, but the lack of changes isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, as someone who is accustomed to various Chinese smartphones, I find Samsung’s minimalist design to be refreshing, especially with the uniformly sized individual rear cameras.
Aside from screen size, display resolution and battery capacity, the S24 and S24+ share identical specs. The S24 packs a 6.2-inch Full HD+ screen, weighs 167g and comes in at 7.6mm thick. The larger S24+ sports a 6.7-inch Quad HD+ panel, and it’s 29g heavier with an extra 0.1mm in thickness.
It’s worth noting that both models use the same AMOLED 2X panel, with an adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, as well as a 2,600-nit peak brightness. I’ve had no problem reading things on either screen while out and about, though I haven’t experienced strong sunlight over the past few unusually cold days here in Hong Kong.
Cameras
Photo by Richard Lai / Engadget
This is probably the most boring aspect on the S24 and S24+, because there is no change here from last year’s phones. On the rear is a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12 MP ultra-wide shooter and a 10 MP 3x telephoto camera, while a 12 MP camera sits up front. Samsung does point out that these cameras benefit from the new generative AI editing tools, which allow you to reframe shots, shift (or delete) subjects and create slow-mo clips from existing videos.
If you’re looking for better low-light performance and improved zoom, you might prefer the S24 Ultra (which my colleague Sam Rutherford reviewed). Still, the S24 and S24+ should be sufficient for your daily snaps, and for me, the results were usually consistent across the three rear cameras. Indoor shots tended to be a little on the dark side and noisier than the results I got on my main phone, the OnePlus Open (which has newer and larger sensors). The difference became more apparent as the environment got darker, especially the faded reds (like on taxis and traffic lights) and the aggressive sharpening on shrubs.
On a more positive note, I’d like to echo my colleague Cherlynn Low’s praise of the S23+’s selfie camera in her review last year. The S24 and S24+ inherited the same setup. In fact, it captured so much detail on my face — pores, dried skin, facial hair, et cetera — that I started to miss the beautification options offered by Chinese phones. I was also impressed by the video recording capabilities, as a 4K clip I shot at 60 fps during a bus ride home came out silky smooth. The relatively low light didn’t seem to affect video stabilization that much.
Software: Making a strong case for practical generative AI
Photo by Richard Lai / Engadget
I spent most of my time with my S24+ testing its “Galaxy AI,” which is touted as a privacy-first AI suite powered by the neural processing unit inside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. In other words, these phones can run some of their “advanced intelligence” tasks on device, and there’s an option to go completely offline for added privacy, but the results may not be as good or as up to date. On a related note, Samsung promises to never use your data “for machine learning or for targeting ads,” and that “your data is immediately deleted from our servers or our partner’s servers as soon as generation is complete.”
Samsung’s Galaxy AI can be broken down into six functions: “live translate” for voice calls, live interpreter (for in-person conversations), writing assist from the keyboard (for quick translations and changing the tone of your drafts), note assist (for auto summarization and formatting), transcript assist (with translations of your recordings) and generative edit in the gallery app. The translation features rely on Samsung’s own language packs, which currently include English (US and UK), Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (Mexico, Spain and US), Thai and Vietnamese. The company promised that more will be added later.
Photo by Richard Lai / Engadget
Before we go further, I’d like to point out that it wasn’t immediately clear where I could enable these AI features. They are disabled by default, and there’s no single switch to enable them all in one go. It took me a while before I dug up the “advanced intelligence” hub in system settings. Even for Google’s self-explanatory “Circle to Search,” I had to go through multiple settings pages to enable it.
The most prominent Galaxy AI feature is perhaps the real-time two-way translation for voice calls, which Samsung has been pitching since November. I had to first enable live translate in the dialer app’s settings, where I had to set the languages of myself and the receiver (it’s easier if you install the necessary language packs in the “advanced intelligence” hub beforehand). Then when you eventually make the phone call, you’ll also need to tap on the “call assist” button, and then tap the “live translate” button to start.
This took me a few runs before I realized I had to hit both buttons to get this thing going, at which point the live translate tool would broadcast a prompt declaring that the call is being translated and live-captioned. Speaking of, be warned that the phone app doesn’t save these transcripts afterwards (I found out the hard way), so be sure to take screenshots or jot down important info before you hang up.
Photo by Richard Lai / Engadget
I enlisted my Ghanaian friend, Paul, who speaks French (and better Mandarin than me!). It took a few runs to let Paul get used to the delay (again, likely not a privilege to be had in the real world), and then we concluded that Samsung’s French language pack struggled to pick up some names and culinary terms, which was likely because it didn’t play well with Paul’s regional accent. Other than that, Paul and I were able to understand each other’s translated speech.
Paul and I also tried the split-screen interpreter tool during a face-to-face conversation. The tool was hard to find — it’s on the second page of the system’s pull-down menu; there is no app shortcut. Once we got the hang of the timing (especially with the pauses required to let the AI start processing), most translations were accurate, so long as Paul’s accent didn’t confuse the software.
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Samsung's system performed better in Korean, which should come as no surprise. I brought my S24+ to lunch at a Korean restaurant, and after paying the bill, I used the interpreter to compliment the establishment in two or three lines. The manager’s eyes lit up upon seeing the Korean translation, which came out fast and exact. He then introduced some of his restaurant’s top dishes to me via the interpreter, but as I went to dig up the dish names the next day, I found out that the system only stores conversations for 24 hours. I lost all my earlier call transcripts. A disclaimer about transcript history would have helped.
The writing assist AI tools were more conveniently located – right above the Samsung keyboard. I could quickly translate short phrases while typing into a field – I just needed to give it a second or two before it automatically swapped my typing to its translation. However, I noticed that the Chinese for “Korean barbecue” (“韓式燒烤”) didn’t translate properly to Korean — it became “코리안 야끼” which is “Korean yaki” (which led me to okonomiyaki pancakes instead on Google), when it should be “코리안 바비큐” as Google correctly deduced. I’m sure Galaxy AI’s accuracy will improve over time, but be prepared to come across such silly mistakes every now and then.
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As a reporter, I look forward to trying the AI transcription feature in Samsung’s Voice Recorder app in future interview opportunities. There’s no setting required, and like Google’s Recorder, it can recognize multiple speakers. But unlike the Pixel version, you can only transcribe (using any downloaded language pack) once you’ve finished recording, rather than seeing it live. This is a little odd considering Samsung has a live interpreter tool; maybe it had to rush out this unpolished Galaxy AI bundle in time for the launch.
Samsung’s other text-based AI tools will also come in handy, especially as I occasionally switch between English and Chinese. I’ve been able to play around with both the “writing style” and “spelling and grammar” tools in Samsung’s keyboard. In Samsung’s Notes app, you can also tap into Galaxy AI for auto summarization and formatting, which can be useful after jotting down notes from press events and interviews.
Sure, you can already perform similar tasks using ChatGPT, but it’s nice to have these functions just a couple of clicks away on our phones. I wouldn’t trust all of the grammar suggestions, though, as some didn’t make sense. Not all of the writing styles listed will suit your needs, either, but they do provide some amusement — like how to write to your love interest in the style of a professional letter.
Performance and battery life
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Like the S24 Ultra, the S24 and S24+ are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor — but only in the US, South Korea and China. If you’re buying one in the UK, then you’ll have to make do with the Samsung Exynos 2400, though benchmarks have indicated that its performance isn’t far off from Qualcomm’s counterpart and, on paper, it actually has a faster 5G modem. As for options, the S24 starts with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for its $800 base model, whereas the S24+ starts with 12GB of RAM and twice the storage at $1,000.
I’ve yet to run into any hiccups on either device, and the slick Android 14 animations made switching from one app to another feel effortless. On Geekbench 6, the S24 and S24+ saw notable improvements in CPU multi-core performance scores, reaching 7,049 and 6,641, respectively. Both models saw a bigger boost in GPU scores, up to 15,082 and 14,982, respectively.
The S23+ already impressed us with its 25-hour result on our video rundown battery test last year. This time, the S24+ lasted for 25 hours and 50 minutes, beating its predecessor by almost an hour. The smaller S24 didn’t disappoint, either, clocking in at about 24.5 hours, so battery life isn’t an issue if single-handed operation matters to you. The S24+’s battery life is even more generous in the real world: With the occasional Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and camera testing throughout the day, I still often ended up with 50 to 60 percent of power by the time I got home in the evening. If I forgot to charge the phone overnight, it could still last another day.
Wrap-up
Photo by Richard Lai / Engadget
I began my review of the S24 and S24+ with low expectations. After all, they weren't very different (visibly) than their predecessors. But as I spent more time with these devices, their minimalist design and slick UX grew on me. Then came the built-in generative AI features, which are more convenient and intuitive than most other third-party bots. There’s even greater potential with the live translation tools, especially with international travel basically back to pre-pandemic levels. The new software aids, combined with subtle design tweaks, help the S24 and S24+ make a more compelling case for upgrading from an S22 or earlier models. Or switching over from other brands, for that matter.
Even though OpenAI and Google are already well ahead in the generative AI game, Samsung still deserves some credit for simplifying these functions — at least while it keeps offering Galaxy AI for free until the end of 2025. For now, though, Samsung needs to find a way to polish the whole package, and make some of the AI features more easily accessible. More importantly, users should be offered an option to save the transcripts after each translated phone call or in-person chat. I’m sure Samsung would rather not have Galaxy AI be reduced to a channel for venting.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-and-s24-review-a-taste-of-generative-ai-in-everyday-use-160041639.html?src=rss