Artificial intelligence is the next frontier for flagship smartphones. Companies are building hardware components into their handsets to power AI features. Huawei recently launched a new smartphone that as a dedicated Neural Processing Unit inside its processor. Artificial intelligence is also expected to be front and center on Samsung's next flagship smartphone.
The company may have just teased that itself. It has possibly revealed that the Galaxy S9 UX is going to be rebranded to Galaxy Ai UX. Samsung teased this during its Bixby Voice launch event in China today.
Artificial Intelligence for Galaxy S9
What this teaser suggests is that artificial intelligence might play a bigger role on the Galaxy S9. Some reports have even suggested that the Galaxy S9 will have its own neural engine.
Samsung is believed to have invested in DeePhi Tech, an AI technology startup based in China. Samsung also made a $30 million investment in UK-based AI company Graphcore in September. These investments signal an interest in hardware that enhances AI capabilities on handsets.
The company might use the neural engine for the rumored depth-sensing camera which will improve facial recognition on the Galaxy S9. Having a dedicated AI coprocessor leaves the main processor free to handle everything else. This helps improve AI performance on the handset as data can be processed locally and doesn't require a trip to the cloud.
The company rebranded its user interface to Samsung Experience almost a year ago. It seems that the next rebrand will bring much more than a new name. It may be the dawn of a whole new era Samsung handsets.