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Samsung Unpacked 2024: Key Product Announcements
The hotly anticipated Galaxy Unpacked event showed off the company’s premium new smartphones for the first time, and revealed an unexpected new wearable.
South Korean tech giant Samsung has started 2024 by unveiling the Galaxy S24 series at the highly anticipated Galaxy Unpacked event. The new smartphones come equipped with on-device generative AI, enhanced specifications, and upgraded camera capabilities.
As customary for Samsung’s early-year events, the S24 flagship phones took center stage. This year, the spotlight was on generative AI, a technology that has gained prominence with the arrival of ChatGPT, Google Bard and more. The Galaxy S24 series is among the first phones to launch with Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which features on-device generative AI capabilities.
The S24 series combines on-device and cloud-based generative AI, referred to as Galaxy AI, to deliver a range of innovative features. Some of these features, like live translation and text message tone suggestions, may sound familiar, while others, such as converting regular-speed videos into slow-motion by generating extra frames, are entirely new.
The top-tier model in the S24 series, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, has received substantial upgrades. It now boasts a titanium body, a 50-megapixel 5x optical camera for sharper distance photography (replacing the 10-megapixel 10x optical zoom camera), and comes with 12GB of RAM.
The standard S24 and S24+ models have fewer upgrades, with slightly larger screens and improved resolutions compared to their predecessors. The S24+ now shares the same Quad HD Plus resolution display as the S24 Ultra. Battery capacities have also increased slightly.
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Samsung has also stepped up efforts to incorporate more recycled materials in the devices, including using cobalt in batteries and rare earth elements in speakers. Notably, Galaxy S24 phones will now receive seven years of Android and security updates, extending their lifespan into 2031.
Towards the end of the event, Samsung unveiled upcoming enhancements to Samsung Health, particularly in the realm of sleep tracking and other health metrics. The event’s climax was the surprise announcement of the Galaxy Ring, a device expected to be equipped with various sensors for continuous health monitoring throughout the day.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Pricing
Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S24 starts at $800, the S24+ begins at $1,000, and the S24 Ultra will set enthusiasts back $1,300. Prices are in line with last year’s models, with the increase in the S24 Ultra attributed to the use of more durable materials.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.