[Hands-On] Effortless Translation and Summarization with Galaxy S24... Features That Outweigh Its Heft

Voice-to-Text Conversion Without Extra Apps
Useful Real-Time Translation... But Mind Your Pronunciation
Sharper Zoom Quality... Perfect Shots with AI Editing

The Galaxy S24 series has arrived, accompanied by Samsung Electronics' ambition to usher in the era of mobile AI phones. Among them, I used the top-tier, most expensive Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Violet for a week. As a user of the Galaxy S21 (169g) and iPhone 15 (171g), my first impression of the Ultra (232g) was that it felt "solid and heavy" in hand. It was not easy to watch YouTube for long periods while lying in bed and holding the phone with one hand. However, the on-device AI features, which are even more advanced than its weight, truly shined when I was working rather than lounging in bed.

(Left) Comparison of transcription screens of recording files between Galaxy S24 Ultra and (Right) Galaxy S21 / Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

Voice-to-Text Has Become Easier... Clear Speech Recommended for Call Translation

The most remarkable advancement is that with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, you can handle everything-from transcribing and translating call recordings-directly on your phone without the internet. After turning off Wi-Fi and 5G services, it took about 7 minutes and 55 seconds to transcribe an interview recording that lasted over an hour. Previous Galaxy series also had a transcription feature. However, earlier models could not convert the entire file on the device; you had to select a section, listen to it, and then transcribe, which meant repeatedly replaying the recording. As a result, when using the Galaxy S21, I had no choice but to connect to the internet and use a separate application.

While waiting, the reassuring message "Converting voice to text, securely analyzing on your device" appeared alongside three sparkling star (Samsung) logos. This provides peace of mind, as you no longer have to worry about sensitive information being leaked when reviewing important business meetings or calls. Conversations with overseas partners or buyers can be converted directly into Korean text, or you can first convert them into the partner's language and then use the Korean translation feature. The converted text is clickable by word, making it convenient to select and replay specific sections you want to hear again.

Recording File Transcription and Summarization Features Seen Through Galaxy S24 Ultra
Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

The summarization feature after transcription is also very useful. When I recorded and summarized a Galaxy S24 article, the feature condensed a 50-second recording into a three-line summary in no time. Explanatory details that were not central to the main topic were omitted, leaving only the core content, making it easy to grasp the essence of lengthy meeting minutes at a glance. However, this feature relies on cloud AI, so it cannot be used without an internet connection. The summarization and translation features are available not only in the Galaxy series' "Voice Recorder" but also in "Notes," so if you need to quickly open a document sent to your phone, you can open the file in "Notes," select the desired paragraph, and use these features as needed.

The call function is equipped with an interpreter feature. I tested it by having an acquaintance speak in Korean while I spoke in English. When my acquaintance asked, "What do you do on New Year’s Day?" the AI-generated female voice responded, "What do you do in New year’s day?" After the other person's voice played quietly, the translated voice followed, and although there was a slight delay, it was not particularly disruptive. However, when speaking quickly, in a rush, or using dialects or unique words, the system sometimes failed to recognize the speech accurately and produced incorrect translations. For example, my question, "When will you come to Seoul?" was translated into Korean as "When will you come to the soul?"-a somewhat unsettling sentence. For business use, it's best to speak slowly and clearly to avoid potential misunderstandings.

'100x Zoom' Clearly Shows Beverage Can Labels... Editing Features for the Perfect Shot

Another standout feature of the Ultra is its camera. The Galaxy S24 series has an improved Nightography system, which truly excels at night. On a rainy night, it captures the trajectory of raindrops under streetlights. Even in a cozy bar, you can take clear and sharp photos without using the flash. The zoom function is also impressive. While sitting in a restaurant, I zoomed from 1x to 100x with two fingers and was able to read the ingredient label on a 350ml beverage can, all without any loss in image quality. The Ultra is the first in the series to feature a "Quad Tele System," delivering optical-quality high resolution up to 10x zoom, and the 100x Space Zoom is available as a digital zoom feature.

With the Galaxy S24 series, you'll have more chances to capture your best photos. There have likely been times when you looked great in a photo, but the picture was slightly tilted or too many people appeared in the background. With the "Generative Editing" feature, you can straighten a tilted photo without losing any part of the image, and the AI even fills in areas that were not originally in the photo. For example, when I tilted a photo of a Santa hat-shaped hairpin taken at 3x zoom by 7.5 degrees to the left, the AI generated the top of the pom-pom, which wasn't visible in the original. In contrast, using the basic editing function to straighten the photo resulted in the edges being cropped, affecting the photo’s dimensions.

Comparison of the results when the original photo (left) is tilted 7.5 degrees to the left using generative editing (center) and basic editing (right) functions / Photo by Seoyul Hwang chestnut@

When you delete a subject from a photo, the AI fills the space with elements that would plausibly be there, usually matching the background. Interestingly, when I deleted the same banner from a photo multiple times, the AI filled in the space differently each time, showing a surprising level of creativity. Some results were a bit awkward, but in such cases, you can simply try AI generation again. When you use this feature, a small watermark with three sparkling star (Samsung) icons appears in the lower left corner, but if you find it distracting, you can crop out the left side using the editing tool.

AI technology is also integrated into the album’s video playback feature, allowing you to generate and watch "slow motion" clips. By pressing and holding a video, it instantly plays in slow motion. As someone currently learning tennis, I found this feature helpful to quickly identify what I was doing wrong. If you’re learning golf or another sport, you no longer need to record in slow motion at the expense of image quality.

'Camera Bump' and Face Recognition in the Dark Fall Short

The "Circle to Search" feature promoted by Samsung is convenient. However, if you’re not someone who frequently searches for objects in photos, you might not notice a significant improvement in convenience. The "camera bump" (protruding camera) caused the phone to wobble considerably when writing notes with a stylus on a flat surface without a case. Using a phone case is highly recommended.

It may seem minor, but the most disappointing aspect was face recognition. While the iPhone 15 unlocks smoothly even in the dark, the Ultra did not perform as well. You can adjust the settings to "brighten the screen in dark environments" to improve face recognition, but the sudden increase in screen brightness in a dark room was startling enough to fully wake me up. In the end, I hurriedly unlocked the phone using fingerprint recognition instead.