Apple announced a wealth of AI features at WWDC 2024, but outside of betas none of them have landed yet, and they probably won’t land until September – by which time something similar to at least one feature might already be available on a Samsung phone.
According to leaker @UniverseIce, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – which is expected to launch in July – will include a feature similar to Apple’s Image Wand, one of its new AI tools which will let users of the best iPads instantly turn doodles and rough sketches into more polished images.
Apple’s implementation of this requires you to circle the image with an Apple Pencil – so it’s an iPadOS 18-only feature and not an iOS 18 one, and the fact that it requires Apple’s stylus suggests it won’t be coming to iPhones any time soon.
It’s not clear whether or not Samsung’s version will similarly require Samsung’s S Pen stylus, but the fact that the feature is apparently launching on a phone that will likely support the stylus suggests it might.
The new AI of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 will realize this function before Apple.Graffiti becomes an image pic.twitter.com/0KhTsqGY2IJune 11, 2024
Then again, the source claimed in a reply that Samsung’s take on the feature will also be coming to the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and the Samsung Galaxy S23 line, albeit not until “later” – and only the Ultra models in those lines support the S Pen.
We’d take this with a pinch of salt, but @UniverseIce has a good track record, and since Samsung has been heavily focused on AI lately it’s not surprising that it would come up with a similar feature to Apple, and even launch the feature first.
Similar AI features no matter your phone
Given how soon after WWDC this has leaked, it’s unlikely that Samsung was inspired by Apple here – rather the two companies were probably working on similar features simultaneously.
Still, even if it is a copy, a good idea is a good idea, so it’s reasonable for Samsung to want to offer it too, much like how Apple Intelligence borrows from Google’s Magic Eraser in letting users erase unwanted elements from photos.
As a result, in the long run you’ll likely have access to similar suites of AI tools no matter which smartphone brand you opt for – though Apple’s approach to AI is notably more focused on privacy than others so far.
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