Samsung Galaxy S24 could get AI-driven real-time call translation

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is set to get a big feature which could remove language barriers almost entirely – real-time call translation.

And this isn’t some rumour from a dark corner of the internet, neither. This is coming from Samsung itself which confirmed its next phone will feature “Galaxy AI”. 

While the Galaxy S24 series isn’t name-checked specifically, Samsung is expected to announce its next flagship smartphones in January, meaning we’re potentially just mere weeks away from an introduction of the phones and real-time language translations.

Samsung says that “AI Live Translate Call” will be part of the new Galaxy AI package, providing real-time translation in both audio and text via a chat log during calls. The South Korean firm claims the system will be “as simple as turning on closed captions when you stream a show”.

As it’s built into the native call app, all you need to do is call someone who doesn’t speak your language and you should be able to have a conversation in real time without any awkward moments.

From the example image Samsung shared (above), it appears the chat log will give you the option to “Add event” whenever a date and time are mentioned in a conversation, allowing you to make a quick calendar reminder.

Just how well this all works remains to be seen, but you can be sure we’ll put Galaxy AI to the test when the first phones packing the new tech arrive on our desk.

Haven’t we seen this before?

Google offers “Live Translate” on newer Pixel smartphones (Pixel 6 and later) which can detect languages in chats and videos, and translate them into the language of your choice in real-time.

It offers wide language support for text-based chat translations, while offering alternative closed caption translations for video is limited to German, English, Spanish, France, Italian and Japanese.

Pixel owners also have access to interpreter mode, by saying “Hey Google” and then asking the AI assistant to be an interpreter. From here, you can speak as normal and the Google assistant will provide real-time translations of what you’re saying.

However, Google’s translation AI doesn’t currently work with phone calls, which gives Samsung the upper hand. It also potentially gives the Galaxy S24 series a key point of differentiation when it launches in a couple of months.