Smartphones equipped with artificial intelligence were the main focus at Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile and communications trade show held in Barcelona last week.
Here are the key takeaways from the event and what it means for Apple and other major technology companies.
Most smartphones already have access to AI through applications such as ChatGPT and Google.
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Gemini, but your next phone (assuming you buy a relatively new one) will have this technology built directly into your system.
The flagship smartphones exhibited by Samsung Electronics and Chinese manufacturer Honor (already on the market) were powered by chips from Qualcomm and Micron Technology.
,
Enable on-device AI instead of sending information to a server for processing. This should remove barriers around privacy and data consumption and lead to widespread adoption.
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It’s not just for high-end phones. Qualcomm and its Taiwanese rival MediaTek have both released mid-range processors with built-in AI capabilities.
But all in all, AI is likely to make smartphones more expensive as manufacturers look to extract maximum benefits from a new upgrade cycle after several years of stagnation in the smartphone space.
No killer AI features yet
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Of all the smartphones on display at MWC, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra had the most AI features, including “Circle to Search,” real-time translation, and AI-assisted note-taking, all of which It’s more of a “nice to have” than a “nice to have”. A “must-have” tool.
Google’s “Circle to Search” feature for images can be useful for shopping and travel ideas, but it can be difficult to fine-tune. For example, if you circle a dish in a photo of your kitchen, it will suggest you to buy similar dishes and recipes.
Real-time translation is great for people who travel frequently, but may have limited use for others. Similarly, AI-assisted note-taking also appears to be a relatively niche use case for the majority of users who don’t primarily use their phones for business. The most impressive application is Samsung’s AI-assisted night photography feature, which should at least captivate stargazers, but may not be enough to convince the masses.
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“This year is really about hardware,” said Christopher Moore, vice president of marketing for Micron’s mobile business. Barons He said this in an interview at MWC. “It’s going to take a year or two for this thing to really take off.”
This also means there’s no need to panic for Apple just yet. There’s time to perfect your own AI approach before the next iPhone launches.
Abundant accessories
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As AI becomes more widespread, the need to constantly pull out your phone and tap the screen will decrease. This is where accessories like smart watches, smart rings, and smart glasses come into play.
One of the hottest pieces of hardware at MWC was San Francisco-based startup Humane’s Ai Pin, a wearable device that includes the ChatGPT assistant. It is shown answering questions, taking photos, and sending texts, and can be controlled by both voice and a laser display that is projected onto the palm of your hand and can be controlled with hand gestures.
Meanwhile, Samsung also gave a limited preview of the Galaxy Ring. With this, the Korean company hopes to provide comfortable 24/7 health tracking information that can be interpreted by the Galaxy AI on smartphones.
These accessories do not replace your smartphone. Even a representative from Humane, one of his few major accessories not affiliated with a phone manufacturer, said: Barons The idea was to create something that augments smartphones rather than completely replacing them. But this means manufacturers, including Apple, will have to think about how AI-powered smartphones can work with a wider range of devices.
Email Adam Clark at adam.clark@barrons.com.
