Samsung’s newest flagship phones with amped up specs for generative AI are off to a hot start, especially the Galaxy S24 Plus model tailoured for the on-device AI era.
The numbers are in for the first few weeks of Samsung’s big smartphone launch this year, and they reflect rising demand for mobile hardware optimised to run powerful artificial intelligence right on the device.
According to the latest data from analyst firm Counterpoint Research, global unit sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series smartphones grew 8 percent year-over-year compared to the Galaxy S23 lineup during the first three weeks they were on the market.
While that’s a relatively modest overall increase, the growth was supercharged by unexpectedly strong sales of the Galaxy S24 Plus model. Volumes for the $999 Plus variant surged 52 percent from last year’s Galaxy S22 Plus, making it over one-fifth of Samsung’s flagship series sales out of the gate.
“The S24 Plus is the Goldilocks phone for this generative AI transition,” said Minsoo Kang, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research. “It hits the sweet spot on pricing for upgraders while also packing the specs newbies want for optimised on-device AI experiences.”
That’s thanks to the Plus model’s 12GB of RAM, which analysts view as the minimum memory threshold to run large language models smoothly on a smartphone. The increased demand for such AI-tailored specifications hints at the broader potential for generative AI to drive mobile device upgrades in the years ahead.
While global growth remains in the single digits so far, some of Samsung’s biggest markets saw more explosive gains. In the crucial U.S. market, for example, Counterpoint recorded mid-teen percentage increases versus the year-ago Galaxy S23 series launch. Preorder volumes were particularly strong in developed economies like Western Europe (up 28 percent), Korea (22 percent) and the United States (14 percent).
“We’re still really just getting started with the generative AI smartphone revolution,” said Jeff Fieldhack, research director for North America at Counterpoint. “So there’s a ton of room for further growth as AI capabilities get even smarter and more useful.”
Of course, Samsung was the first major smartphone vendor to prominently pitch generative AI as a key selling point for its latest flagship device. But it won’t be the last – rivals like Apple are also going all-in on optimising their mobile hardware and software for advanced on-device AI.
So while the early numbers seem promising for Samsung’s AI-supercharged handsets, the real test will be whether it can maintain its head start as generative AI goes truly mainstream on smartphones in the coming years. The Galaxy S24 series is just the opening salvo in what’s poised to be a high-stakes AI mobile battle.