Apple announced a wealth of AI features at WWDC 2024, but aside from the betas, none have actually landed yet, and that probably won’t happen until September – by which time something resembling at least one feature could already be available on a Samsung phone.
According to leaker @UniverseelIjsthe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – expected to launch in July – will include a feature similar to Apple’s Image Wand, which allows you to instantly transform scribbles 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 feature rather than an iOS 18 feature. It’s not clear whether Samsung’s version will require an S Pen stylus in the same way, but the fact that the feature is apparently launching on a phone that is likely to support the stylus suggests it could.
The new AI of the 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 response that Samsung’s take on the feature will also come to the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and the Samsung Galaxy S23 line, albeit only “later” – and only the Ultra models in those lines will support the S Pen.
We’ll take this with a grain of salt, but @UniverseIce has a good track record, and since Samsung has been focusing heavily on AI lately, it’s not surprising that it would come with a similar feature to Apple, and this feature even would launch. First.
Similar AI features regardless of your phone
Considering how quickly after WWDC this was leaked, it’s unlikely that Samsung was inspired by Apple here; the two companies were likely working on similar features at the same time.
But even if it’s a copy, a good idea is a good idea, so it’s reasonable that Samsung would want to offer it too, just as Apple Intelligence borrows from Google’s Magic Eraser by letting users erase unwanted elements from photos.
As a result, you’ll likely have access to similar suites of AI tools in the long run regardless of which smartphone brand you choose – although Apple’s approach to AI so far has been noticeably more privacy-focused than others.