Compare another feature
Equivalent features from other platforms are shown only when the relationship has been verified.
| Property | Circle to Search | Visual Intelligence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vendor | Samsung | Apple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AI Platform | Galaxy AI | Apple Intelligence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short summary | Circle to Search lets you search anything visible on your screen by circling, highlighting, or tapping an object with your finger or S Pen. | Visual Intelligence lets you search for objects and content within photos using Apple Intelligence on-device vision models. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed explanation | Circle to Search uses the on-device Gemini Nano vision model to identify and classify objects in the screen capture. The model processes the visual input entirely on the device to preserve privacy. The identified object is then used as a search query, which is sent to Google's search infrastructure for results. On HyperOS AI, the feature uses a similar on-device vision model with cloud-assisted search enhancement. | Visual Intelligence uses Apple Intelligence on-device vision models to understand and identify objects, text, and scenes within photos. Users can search their photo library by describing what they want to find (e.g., a red bicycle or a receipt from last month). The feature also provides detailed information about objects in photos, including products, landmarks, and artwork. Visual search integrates into the Photos app and Camera app, leveraging the Apple Neural Engine for fast, private on-device processing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Why it exists | Traditional search requires typing. Circle to Search addresses the need to understand visual context -- recognizing that users often want to know about something they see, not something they can describe with text. | Finding specific photos in a large library is time-consuming and difficult. Visual Intelligence addresses the need for smart photo search and object identification using natural language descriptions and visual recognition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Capability family | Visual Understanding | Visual Understanding | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canonical capabilities |
Visual Understanding
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Visual Understanding
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| Platform implementation |
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| Software / hardware | HyperOS AI; HW: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or better; SW: HyperOS 2.0; Gemini Nano; HW: Pixel 9 series or later; SW: Android 15+; Galaxy AI; HW: NPU 35 TOPS or better; SW: One UI 7.0 | Apple Intelligence; HW: A17 Pro or M-series chip with Apple Neural Engine; minimum 6GB RAM; SW: iOS 18.1+ (iPhone 15 Pro/16+); iPadOS 18.1+ (M2/M3 iPad+); macOS 15.1+ (M-series Mac+); Requires Photos app or Camera app integration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cloud data flow |
HyperOS AI: Conditional Gemini Nano: Conditional Galaxy AI: Conditional |
Apple Intelligence: No -- all image recognition and search is on-device |
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| Known Limitations |
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Capability comparison
↔ Shared capabilities
| Capability | Family |
|---|---|
| Visual Understanding | Visual Understanding |
Circle to Search only
No unique capabilities.
Visual Intelligence only
No unique capabilities.