2024 is close to an end, and what a remarkable year it's been for Samsung fans. We've had plenty of releases to look forward to and be excited about, and in many ways, it feels like Samsung turned a new leaf.
2024 may have been one of the most eventful years in recent memory for Samsung and its fans. We would know, given that we've spent almost every day of the year bringing the latest Samsung news, product reviews, videos, and more to a growing community.
We've had a lot of fun doing it, partly because there's been so much to discuss. But we're nearing year-end, so let's wrap it up with a year in review and put a bow on it before we step into 2025 and start a new chapter. Here are Samsung's 2024 highlights.
Stepping into and setting the tone for the era of GenAI
In 2024, Samsung started off strong with the release of the successful Galaxy S24 flagship series and Galaxy AI. The generative AI toolset is now an integral part of the mobile experience for Samsung fans, and its release marked the beginning of a new era for the company.
Not only has Samsung released a robust GenAI toolset through Galaxy AI, but it was the first OEM to do it, and others — including Apple — had to follow.
Although Galaxy AI debuted with the Galaxy S24 series, it is now available across a multitude of flagship phones and tablets. Even smart TVs got a taste of GenAI through a newly released generative wallpaper feature.
A new pro-consumer firmware support policy
The launch of the Galaxy S24 series at the beginning of 2024 also marked the introduction of a new pro-consumer firmware update policy. Galaxy flagship phones and tablets released in 2024 onward receive support for seven years and get seven big Android OS upgrades.
Samsung didn't stop here. The company also looked into improving support for lower-end phones. The Galaxy A16 budget phone was the first to benefit from this strategy. Samsung released the Galaxy A16 in October and promised to support it with six Android OS updates.
2024 was a good year for Exynos, kind of
There's been a lot of talk about Samsung Foundry's problems with low yield on the manufacturing side. Granted, Samsung is still struggling to churn out 3nm chips reliably.
Nevertheless, we shouldn't ignore that the 4nm Exynos 2400 SoC, which debuted at the beginning of the year, is a success. Even the Exynos 2400e, which hit the market through the Galaxy S24 FE, can hold its own.
The Exynos 2400 chip powers the Galaxy S24 and S24+ in some regions, and it truly turned out to be a fast and reliable solution. Galaxy S24 users in Exynos markets haven't suffered from poor optimization at launch, and that's more than we can say for previous chips.
Even though the Exynos 2400 might not be enough to correct all the wrongs from the past, it didn't mar the Galaxy S24 experience, as previous in-house chips have done before.
Samsung's first smart ring entered the arena in 2024
After years of speculation and digging through patent applications pertaining to Samsung smart rings, the company finally entered this new market space in 2024 with the launch of the Galaxy Ring.
Samsung first teased the Galaxy Ring at the first Unpacked event of the year and later unveiled the prototype at MWC 2024.
A few months later, in July, the Galaxy Ring hit the shelves in select markets and continued to expand its reach into more regions.
The Galaxy Ring uses the same Samsung Health platform as other wearables and is a fantastic addition to the lineup for users who want to track fitness activities and health without being distracted by screens.
And unlike other smart rings from other brands, which can be quite limiting, the Galaxy Ring is available in a plethora of sizes, ranging from 5-to-13 on the US scale, and three color options.
Making fitness and health tracking more accessible in 2024
While the Galaxy Ring is a relatively pricey solution, Samsung also released a couple of cheaper fitness and health-tracking wearables in 2024.
The first was the Galaxy Fit 3. Samsung hasn't touched the Fit series since 2020, but this year, a new model was introduced for budget-conscious customers.
The Galaxy Fit 3 boasts a new design with a 45% bigger screen and more health-tracking and emergency features.
In addition, 2024 marked the release of the first Fan Edition smartwatch. Introduced in June, the Galaxy Watch FE bridges the price gap between the Fit 3 and flagship smartwatches.
Although it is a rebranded and slightly upgraded Galaxy Watch 4 with a different name, it is an affordable and welcomed solution for people who don't want to spend too much on a wearable of this type.
Samsung goes Ultra on smartwatches in 2024
We've had Ultra smartphones and tablets for years, but 2024 marked the release of the first Ultra-branded Galaxy Watch.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a rugged design, employs titanium, boasts improved water resistance, a new Exynos W1000 chip, and a gorgeous and bright display.
For prospective buyers who are looking for a less conspicuous smartwatch, Samsung released the Galaxy Watch 7. The latter boasts the same internal hardware as the Ultra but isn't quite as adapted to rough conditions.
Samsung completely redesigns its Galaxy Buds wireless earbuds
In 2024, Samsung completely redesigned its wireless earbuds lineup and released not one but two models. Enter the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
Both have a new stemmed design and cases to match. The stemmed design minimizes the chance of accidentally triggering the touch controls. It also contributes to a more secure fit inside the charging case.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the best earbuds Samsung has released to date. They are the first to boast planar drivers, and they sound better than all the previous models.
The Pro earbuds also marked the debut of Blade Lights — a new LED light strip that helps users find their earbuds and check battery life levels at a glance.
In 2024, Samsung finally released a brand-new foldable phone
Samsung has followed a two-pronged foldable phone strategy for years, but in 2024, the company finally expanded its lineup with a third model, i.e., the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.
The SE model has a wider aspect ratio, ditches the S Pen, boasts a better camera setup, and improves the foldable display crease.
Sadly, this new device was released in limited quantities only in Korea and China (under the W25 brand). It went on sale shortly after the global launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which didn't sit well with some users.
Nevertheless, the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is an important highlight of 2024. It shows that Samsung is still willing to experiment with new foldable phone designs, and it may have offered a glimpse into what 2025 may hold for foldable phone fans.
Rethinking the Galaxy Tab S series in 2024
For the first time in years, Samsung went back to the drawing board in 2024 and revamped the Galaxy Tab S series in two major ways.
Firstly, the company streamlined the flagship tablet lineup by removing the base model. Secondly, the new Galaxy Tab S10+ and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra for 2024 employed a MediaTek chip instead of an Exynos or Qualcomm solution. Surprisingly to some, the MediaTek chip performs admirably.
In addition to these massive changes, Samsung also took into consideration the compatibility of tablet accessories.
For the first time, the new-gen tablets are fully compatible with Samsung accessories from previous generations, such as cases and keyboard covers.
One UI 7.0 is the biggest update in years
Although One UI 7.0 is not out publicly yet and will remain in beta testing for the remainder of the year, it's still a big part of the Samsung narrative in 2024.
One UI 7.0 is the biggest upgrade we've had in years. Samsung is developing it with new philosophies in mind.
The company aims for One UI 7.0 to trigger a positive emotional response from users. To this end, the update brings a new blur engine, new UI elements like the Now Bar, redesigned quick and notification panels, new icons, and more.
The update is also supposed to bring new animations but they weren't made available — at least, not in the first beta build. One UI 7.0 is improving as we speak and beta 2 is out as of this writing.
One UI for more devices, including smart TVs
In addition to wanting to create the best version of One UI for phones and tablets, Samsung also took a big step toward a more unified cross-device user experience.
In 2024, Samsung rolled out a new Tizen OS version for smart TVs and called it a One UI update.
Although we're still a ways to go from achieving a perfect match across the TV and mobile device user experience, the launch of One UI for smart TVs marks an important turning point in the company's philosophy.
Now more than ever, Samsung is trying to see the big picture rather than developing each device type in a vacuum. This new philosophy will lead to a more consistent user experience across different products, and it all began in 2024.
Samsung consumer electronics have never been this well integrated with SmartThings
A similar philosophy is also expanding further into the SmartThings platform. In 2024, Samsung released new consumer electronics, such as AI-powered robot vacuum cleaners and kitchen appliances, that are better integrated with the SmartThings mobile platform.
There is more work to be done on this front, but in 2024, Samsung gave Galaxy device users more reasons to buy Samsung smart home devices and build an ecosystem. And things will only improve from here on out.
In the final stretch of extended reality
At the beginning of 2023, Samsung announced its intentions to develop the next-generation extended reality (XR) experience in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm.
The next-gen Samsung XR headset is not going to be released in 2024, but we finally got the first glimpse of this device in December when Google revealed its Android XR platform.
Above is a render of the upcoming Samsung XR headset. Google used it to demonstrate its new XR operating system, and industry reports sound very promising.
By some accounts, Samsung and Google may be on their way to setting a new standard for the emerging XR market – one that Apple might have to follow.
Samsung 2024 conclusion
All things considered, 2024 was a good year for Samsung fans, from mobile phone users to Samsung Health enthusiasts and consumer electronics customers.
We got new product categories, great hardware and software upgrades, Galaxy AI, a more unified cross-device experience, and more.
Will the company outdo itself in 2025? Only time will tell, but we're happy with how things went in 2024, and we can only hope that Samsung will continue to deliver in the years to come.
We hope you'll stick around next year as we continue to explore future developments within the Samsung sphere. Don't forget to follow us on social media and join our growing community. Most importantly, have a fantastic year-end and happy holidays!
