Smartphones 2024: Declining sales and the need to find novelties while waiting for foldable models to drop in price in order to spread to large sections of the public forces smartphone manufacturers to find winning ideas to attract consumers. In recent years, the sector has yet to provide any major changes. In contrast, with the recent launch of Google’s Pixel 8, there has been a change of perspective: less focus on hardware and more on software because display, battery and cameras have now reached excellent levels on so many smartphones, which, however, all tend to do the same things. Google has turned the tables by showing what the Pixel 8 Pro is capable of thanks to generative artificial intelligence, which, as in other areas, is the game-changing technology.
A further demonstration came during the unveiling of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm’s system-on-chip, which brings GenAI into phones. How? Integrating a Large Language Model, which, compared to the voice assistants Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa, provides broader and more precise answers thanks to the Neural Processing Unit of the new SoC.
As is already the case with ChatGPT, the smartphone will thus be able to respond to a question by proposing effective solutions. An example? To the question: “Where can I buy XY brand baby milk?” we will get an answer with the nearest place and the route to follow to buy the requested milk. When asked how to travel from Paris to London, the reply will offer practical information and return flights or trains to get to England.
Smartphones in 2024
In this phase of technological transition in which all companies are working to develop, refine and integrate AI on their respective devices and systems (Samsung has just unveiled Galaxy AI, which will translate in real time the conversation between two people speaking different languages during a call), future Android smartphones equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will be able to execute hitherto unthinkable commands. Here are five of them that we will see in the course of 2024.
Remove people and objects from a video
With the Magic Eraser feature, Google’s Pixel introduced the ability to remove unwanted subjects or elements from images. Qualcomm goes one step further and applies the same concept to videos filming people on the move with Video Object Eraser, with the ability to choose whether to make a face or an object that spoils the shot disappear. Not only is this a huge step forward across the board, but Qualcomm promises to do this in just a few clicks and seconds, even for users without software knowledge.
All you have to do is highlight the element to be removed and then delete it, with AI stepping in to complete the clip.
Generate photos and videos in seconds – Smartphones 2024
There are already several AI systems that generate images; only they require the input of a prompt (the more precise the textual request, the richer in detail the generated image will be), and you need to wait about 40 seconds to be faced with what you are asking for. With Qualcomm’s SoC, the time variable changes because, as demonstrated during the presentation, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 takes less than a second to create the image.
This is the first step, as the basic concept is the same, and the technology allows the production to be replicated even with video. This means that perhaps as early as in the coming months, we will be able to use our voice to ask the smartphone to create a clip based on our requests, which will take shape after a matter of minutes.
Knowing the state of hydration and air quality
The arrival of GenAI on smartphones corresponds to a new wave of sensors to be integrated within it, which will prove useful for doing things with the phone that were hitherto reserved for specific instruments or services. One example will be the possibility of measuring the skin’s hydration, with subsequent recommendations concerning its state. If the level is low, for instance, the smartphone will suggest drinking more water.
A similar concept will concern the analysis of the air, with a ToF sensor capable of analysing the amount of particles and suggesting whether this level allows one to exercise or whether the pollutants are too high. As has already happened with wearables that measure health parameters, one should not expect smartphones to perform evaluations on the same level as professional instruments. Still, they will provide useful information to understand what to do.
Personalised chatbots – Smartphones 2024
We have already been invaded by chatbots created by companies to automate immediate answers and provide generic information. Now, we are going up a level with a kind of digital assistant that smartphone manufacturers will be able to put inside smartphones.
Generally speaking, we can imagine that we will be faced with models similar in operation to ChatGPT, which, like and better than search engines, will be able to answer questions and resolve doubts by fishing for online information in real-time, interweaving it with our needs, preferences and calendar appointments. It will thus be like having a personal concierge.
