If various reports are to be believed, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S24 next month. The company will reportedly unveil the S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra models at an event in San Jose on January 17, with a release date of January 30.

But while the Ultra model is teased with all sorts of exciting upgrades, the version most people will buy, the regular S24, sounds more incremental. even the images above via OnLeaks and SmartPrix look somehow looks familiar.

While generally incremental in terms of hardware, there is one major development that could be a game changer in terms of how we interact with cell phones.

As you can see from the table above, on paper, there is little change in the main rumored specs. To save you from the "spot the difference" game, it essentially comes down to two things: processor and battery capacity.

The latter is quite unappealing: the 100mAh jump represents an increase of about 2.5% over the previous generation. This is about one-third the size of the average smartwatch battery.

Of course, thanks to improved processor efficiency, actual stamina may be much better than the numbers suggest. In the US, the Samsung Galaxy S24 will likely be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

In other regions, it will likely be powered by Samsung's home-grown solution, the Exynos 2400. However, Samsung has emphasized the high graphics performance of this new chip.

Again, the specs appear to be the same, except for the 0.1" larger screen size. Given that the Samsung Galaxy S23 has a superior AMOLED screen, there is limited reason to upgrade to the same, although it is hardly disastrous.

There may be one, however: the S24's panel is reported to be significantly brighter, reaching 2,500 nits, surpassing the S23's 1,750. This may come in handy for those who often use their phones in direct sunlight.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is said to have a significantly changed camera, but the spec sheet shows the same hardware as the base S24.

Of course, that doesn't mean there won't be differences in performance. Hardware is only half of the picture, and the quality of the picture depends on the image processing.

Additionally, Samsung may have a big ace in the hole in artificial intelligence.

Samsung is reportedly planning to take artificial intelligence in a big way for its next phone, and this could be the Galaxy S24's secret weapon. Even if the specs are similar on paper, if the AI is as transformative as the company hopes, it could feel like a whole new smartphone experience.

One example Samsung has already shared is AI Translate Call.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. According to a recent Windows Report article, artificial intelligence will power "various apps and features," generative AI will help "edit and improve photos," and bring "enhanced search capabilities."

We hope Samsung doesn't undermine its killer features by putting artificial intelligence behind a paywall, as has been rumored.

Looking at the rumored spec sheet, the Samsung Galaxy S24 appears to be the very definition of an iterative update: a new processor, a slightly larger battery, and enough design changes to ensure that existing cases will not fit.

But if artificial intelligence is a game changer as has been proven elsewhere, the Galaxy S24 may be remembered as a turning point for Samsung. Next month we will find out if it is the next big thing for Samsung or just another Bixby.