OPINION: There’s usually a theme when it comes to yearly smartphone releases. 2023 saw massive gains in the smartphone camera department, while 2024 was undoubtedly the year of artificial intelligence with the release of the likes of Galaxy AI, Honor Magic Portal and, of course, Apple Intelligence.
I started the year very excited about the potential of on-device generative AI processing with companies teasing hugely powerful AI features coming to 2024 flagships, ranging from basic tasks like rewriting text to more advanced features like on-device translation and AI-infused photo and video editing features.
With the promise of vastly smarter phones that’d make your day-to-day life easier, what’s not to like?
Well, after a full year of using AI-enabled smartphones from the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to the Honor Magic 6 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and iPhone 16 Pro Max, I can honestly say that I’m underwhelmed – and I’m not the only one.
Now I’m not going to sit here and say that all the AI features I’ve used this year are useless; far from it. I like the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s ability to transcribe and summarise recordings, usually smartphone briefings for work, and the option of recording and transcribing phone calls on the iPhone 16 Pro Max came in very handy when discussing mortgage offers with my mortgage advisor a few months ago.
I’ve even dabbled with the slew of image editing tools on offer from Samsung’s Galaxy AI with generally impressive results.
However, would I say that AI has completely transformed the way I use my smartphone as some manufacturers claim? Absolutely not.
Those features I mentioned are undeniably handy additions to the smartphone experience, but for the most part, these focus on niche cases rather than something that smartphone users can use every day to make things a little easier.
Where are the actually good features?
I’m not alone in feeling this way either; according to a recent survey from USwitch, the biggest AI features desired by the general public include predicting where lost items are based on previous locations, taking care of life admin, handling customer service calls and even analysing voice calls to detect if someone is angry or lying. Y’know, genuinely helpful features that all fall into the remit of on-device AI.
But can any AI-enabled smartphone in 2024 do any of that? Nope. But hey, at least you can make a Pixar-style image of your dog, right?
Plus, with the generative nature of artificial intelligence, things aren’t always as accurate as you might expect them to be.
Features like Apple Intelligence’s notification summaries often misinterpret incoming notifications and Galaxy AI’s obviously AI-powered text rewriting that sounds stilted and devoid of any personality spring to mind, but I’m sure there are plenty of other examples.
Simply put, for every feature that works flawlessly, there are a bunch that just don’t work as advertised.
It’s a sentiment seemingly shared by the general public, with 46% of USwitch’s respondents claiming that smartphone AI features are overhyped, with 43% simply not trusting the tech. In fact, when it comes to buying decisions, AI features are at the bottom of the list with only a 6% share in interest when compared to elements like battery life (21%).
The worst (or best, depending on your view on AI) part is that this new AI push isn’t going anywhere, with manufacturers like Samsung already confirming that their 2025 flagship smartphone collection will offer new features as part of its Galaxy AI toolkit.
Given the experience we’ve had with AI until this point, I’d be more than happy to completely forget about this recent trend and move onto something that’d genuinely improve the day-to-day experience on offer from smartphones; faster charging, longer battery life, better cameras, that kind of thing.
Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to be the case, and I’m almost positive that we’re about to face yet another year filled with half-assed AI features that do little more than grab headlines at launch.
My advice? Look beyond the glitzy AI features that 2025 flagships will undoubtedly offer and look more closely at specs and other features on offer, features that’ll more greatly impact your day-to-day life than the current iteration of on-device AI ever could.
