Mid-range Galaxy phones to soon get flagship power as Samsung expands Circle to Search
Circle to Search has become a favorite tool among Android users for its intuitive way of searching. Figuring out where to buy those cool sunglasses you saw on Instagram is as easy as circling them with your finger. It’s so popular that Google is considering adding a version of the feature to its Chrome browser.
Recognizing its usefulness, Samsung has decided to roll out Circle to Search to five more devices. Three of the company’s mid-rangers – the Galaxy A34 5G, Galaxy A35 5G, and A54 5G – are receiving the updates, along with the entire Galaxy Tab S9 FE series. The tablet lineup consists of the base model, the Tab S9 FE Plus, and the S9 FE 5G. The update brings the number of devices that support Circle to Search to over 30 (nearly 40 if you count the recently unveiled Pixel 9 series).
Judging by the official announcement, there don’t seem to be any limitations to this version of the feature. It performs on par with Circle to Search on more expensive devices. Samsung states that users can “circle, highlight, or tap anywhere on the screen to select a specific line of text, object in an image or video that they want to search.”
This comes as a surprise, as Circle to Search uses AI technology normally only seen on higher-end phones like the Galaxy S24. It was initially thought that only devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 series had powerful enough hardware to support the new wave of AI. That’s clearly not the case.
It is worth mentioning that leak from early August claimed that Samsung had plans to expand Galaxy AI to several mid-range models. The three getting Circle to Search could be the first group.
Availability
There are a few things you should know about the patch, as it’s rolling out on August 22. Samsung states that its availability “may vary by device model and market,” which seems to suggest that this might not be a global rollout. The performance and overall quality of Circle to Search will depend on the “framing of [the] circled image”, brightness and other factors.
We’ve reached out to the tech giant to ask for more information on the update’s availability in global regions. This story will be updated if we hear back.
Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best cheap phones for 2024 if you’re in the market for a new mobile device.
