The Samsung Galaxy S24 could launch with a timed exclusive camera feature

Did Samsung just tease a Galaxy S24 feature at CES?

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Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked event of the year is set to take place on January 17, but that didn’t stop the electronics giant from making an appearance atCES 2024– nor from mentioning the upcomingSamsung Galaxy S24line in all but name.

Speaking about its “next flagship” during its CES keynote (viaAndroid Authority), Samsung announced a new feature that will allow its upcoming phones to double as high-quality webcams. You’ll be able to switch between the front and rear lenses, and even apply AI camera features such as background blur and auto framing, Samsung said.

This isn’t an entirely new feature, per se, since other phones – theGoogle Pixel 8, for instance – can already double as webcams. The feature appeared briefly in the Samsung One UI 6 Beta 3, too, before being removed in subsequent beta releases. Now, though, it seems certain that the Galaxy S24 and its siblings, theSamsung Galaxy S24 PlusandSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, will be the first Samsung phones to offer remote webcam functionality.

We’re also confident that Samsung will market this feature as a timed exclusive for the Samsung Galaxy S24 line, since the company hasn’t provided any of its existing phones with equivalent webcam functionality, and its “next flagship” is mentioned by name.

There are already plenty of third-party apps that let you use your phone as a webcam, butSamsungis clearly hoping to cut out the middleman with the Galaxy S24 line.Applepulled a similar trick with its Mac-compatible Continuity Camera system, andMicrosoft is also reportedly working on adding webcam functionality to its Phone Link app.

In other words, if you plan on picking up a Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus or Galaxy S24 Ultra device come January 17, you may end up getting one of thebest webcams, as well as one of thebest phones.

As for what else we expect to see from the Galaxy S24 line this month, it seems certain that AI will form a key part of Samsung’s next mobile offering. The company’s Galaxy Unpacked tagline – “Galaxy AI is here” – coupled with what we’ve already heard aboutSamsung’s new, proprietary AI model, Samsung Gauss, suggests that all three upcoming phones will boast asmorgasbord of AI-powered features, whichcouldgive them an edge overApple’sbest iPhones.

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Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

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