Best AI Phones Of 2024: Artificial intelligence (AI) was the buzzword of the tech world in 2024. Almost everything from automobiles to refrigerators claimed to come with some level of AI wizardry, and when it came to smartphones, what started as a trickle at the beginning has become an AI flood as we come to the end of 2024. Some brands like Samsung spent as much time highlighting the AI part of their flagships as their hardware.
Of course, while many smartphones claim to come with AI, not all of them delivered equally on this new tech front (we’re looking at a certain tech giant named after a fruit).
As we come to the end of 2024, here's a look at five devices that handled AI best:
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: The AI Boss, With S-Pen Aid
The phone was the first major flagship to showcase AI functionality on a phone in a big way, and even as its successor is set to arrive, the Galaxy S24 Ultra remains the best device one can experience phone AI on.
From translating speech to organising notes to summarising websites, the Galaxy S24 Ultra sails through them all with buttery smoothness.
Its massive 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display provides enough real estate to carry out extensive tasks and lets you do more with documents and notes.
But in our book, what makes the Galaxy S24 Ultra the ultimate AI phone is the fact that it comes bundled with the S-Pen stylus that adds a whole new dimension to the AI experience - just sketch a tree and see AI convert it into a picture-perfect one, or cross out something (much easier with a stylus than a finger) and see AI remove it seamlessly from the image.
Even the much-hyped Circle-to-Search works brilliantly with a stylus.
ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Android King With An AI Crown
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Best of Google's AI, Now & Later
The Galaxy S24 Ultra might have been the boss of phone AI in 2024 in terms of performance, but running it very close was the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. The largest non-folding Pixel of them all, did not have a display as bright as the S24 Ultra or an S-Pen stylus up its phone-y sleeve, and well, it does not have the processor muscle to match the Ultra either (Google's Tensor chip is smart rather than speedy), but the Pixel 9 Pro XL still is an AI heavyweight in its own right.
This is because of all the phones released in the year, none showcased Google's AI features better. From the Gemini assistant and Pixel Studio image generator to the various photography modes (Add Me, Super Res Zoom), Google's AI apps and features blend seamlessly into the clean interface of the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
The phone also comes with AI apps (Screenshots, Magic Editor) designed especially for the Pixel range. The large display helps one get more out of AI features and this is a Pixel. It will get Google's new AI features (there are more coming even as this is being written) before any other device does.
ALSO READ: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Review: A Serious Flagship With Google’s Best AI & Cameras To Date
CMF Phone 1: AI On A Tight Budget
After starting out mainly on premium devices, AI has been making its way down the price ladder to more budget offerings towards the end of 2024.
However, the AI experience on most mid-segment phones has been a little limited in terms of both features and performance. One device which is an exception to this is the CMF Phone 1, the first phone from Nothing's CMF sub-brand.
The phone made headlines for its removable back and design, but we think it is also a great ambassador for AI on a budget. It comes with very smooth ChatGPT integration, has an AI Vivid mode in the camera and several Google's AI tools onboard as well.
And its fast-for-its-segment Dimensity 7300 chip and large-ish 6.67-inch AMOLED display also help the overall AI experience. For a phone that is priced in the region of Rs 15,000, this delivers a relatively smooth AI experience.
ALSO READ: CMF Phone 1 Review: 'Nothing' Else Will Give You These Many Goodies At Just Rs 15,999
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: Flip For AI Fun
Samsung showed the world just what a difference AI could make on a foldable with the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Yes, the foldable came with all the AI features that Samsung's other flagships had, but the Korean brand pulled a rabbit out of the AI hat by using the flip form factor of the phone to make it even more effective.
The best example of this was Live Translate in which one could keep the outer display (FlexWindow) facing the person you are speaking to, allowing them to see what you are seeing in their own language.
The front-facing camera on the outer display could also automatically zoom in and out using AI, and also supported responses to chats.
Although some of these features were also available on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, they were far easier to use on the far more compact Flip 6, giving us an idea of the potential of AI on foldables.
Wait, What About Apple Intelligence?
Some might wonder why the iPhone is not part of this list.
Well, as so often happens, Apple came a little late to the AI party. Although it talked extensively of its version of AI, which it labelled (surprise, surprise) AI for 'Apple Intelligence," at WWDC 2024, the features themselves took their time coming to the iPhone range.
They are trickling in even as this article is being written. Powerful Writing Tools, all-new Siri backed by AI, ChatGPT integration which is quite seamless and the ability to turn rough sketches into images are all features that are now present on the new iPhones.
From what we can see, AI on the iPhone (we have tested it on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro Max) is easier to use than on its Android counterparts, and of course, comes with the legendary Apple privacy and security with a lot of the processing happening on the device itself rather than on the cloud.
For all you know, the iPhone might well prove to be THE AI phone of 2025, but in 2024 it was largely a bystander in the AI space.