Samsung and Microsoft collab will turn your Galaxy phone into a PC webcam
The company's partnership with Microsoft will pave the way for more "intelligent capabilities."
What you need to know
- Samsung announced at CES 2024 that its partnership with Microsoft is set to bring "Intelligent Connectivity" features to its Galaxy Book 4 series and Galaxy phones.
- One such feature involves turning a user's Galaxy phone into a webcam for the laptop, packed with AI camera filters, and camera swap abilities.
- Samsung states it will also bring more AI features to its laptop, courtesy of Microsoft's AI helper, Copilot for texting and searching.
Following Samsung's CES 2024 showcase, the company has detailed new features awaiting its smartphones, thanks to its laptop's new AI chipset.
In a press release, the company highlighted its "New Intelligent Connectivity" features, which involve turning your Galaxy phone into a webcam for the Galaxy Book 4 series. Samsung states users can engage in video conferences on apps like Microsoft Teams.
The connectivity will let users quickly swap between their Galaxy phone's front and rear cameras as they see fit. From your phone, Samsung adds users will find AI camera filters, such as Background Blur and Auto-framing, which help focus on your image if you're out and about.
Such device-to-device connectivity would be a welcome alternative as users can decide between the Galaxy Book 4 series' 2MP 1080p FHD camera or their Galaxy phone, which takes things much further.
Samsung's work with Microsoft will also bring several new capabilities courtesy of its AI helper, Copilot. The company states when pairing a Galaxy Book 4 laptop with your Galaxy phone, it can read and summarize your text messages. Moreover, the AI can automatically create and send texts from your PC.
The partnership will enable the AI to discover restaurant recommendations sent in texts and display them on your PC. Users can easily search for reviews, as well.
Additionally, Samsung expands its pairing support to its tablets, like the Tab S9 Ultra, which can be used as a secondary display for your laptop. It then reiterates compatibility with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for seamless, wireless audio for music and movies.
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What's more, we've seen something similar to Samsung's webcam feature teased during a teardown of Link to Windows from December. The code seemingly showed Microsoft was preparing its own version for PCs, alongside video enhancements like stabilization, filters, and HDR effects. This would be accessible through the Phone Link app and available for more Android phones to be used as a webcam, as a result.
Samsung doubling down on more AI enhancements for its products is not surprising. The company has already mentioned it wants the Galaxy S24 series to become an "AI Phone," and has even teased its new native AI experience. With its AI model potentially named "Gauss," Galaxy AI starts with "AI Live Translate Call." This will give users audio and text transcriptions in real-time when speaking with someone in another language.
Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy S24 series on January 17 at 1 pm ET at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Nickolas is always excited about tech and getting his hands on it. Writing for him can vary from delivering the latest tech story to scribbling in his journal. When Nickolas isn't hitting a story, he's often grinding away at a game or chilling with a book in his hand.