The Google Pixel 8 is a powerful and recent smartphone, but it will be missing a key feature: Gemini Nano, Google’s local AI. This absence is all the more surprising since the Pro model is equipped with it.
Google recently announced that one of its latest smartphones, the Pixel 8, will not benefit from the latest local artificial intelligence feature, Gemini Nano. A decision that leaves people perplexed and worried about the future of smartphones and their ability to keep up with technological innovations.
8 /10
High hardware requirements, but not only that…
Gemini Nano, Google’s new local AI, is designed to work entirely on the device, without exchanging data with an internet service. This characteristic requires significant processing power, and more precisely, a dedicated processor called NPU (Neural Processing Unit). However, the hardware requirements for Gemini Nano are apparently so high that the Pixel 8 cannot meet them.
Although the Pixel 8 is not compatible with Gemini Nano, the Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 are. Both of these devices feature more capable hardware capable of supporting local AI requirements. However, the exact reason why Gemini Nano isn’t working on the Pixel 8 remains unclear. Google has not yet provided a clear explanation on this matter.
The Pixel 8 has 8GB of RAM and uses the Tensor G3 as the SoC, while the Pixel 8 Pro comes with 12GB of RAM and also uses the Tensor G3. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 has 8 GB of RAM in its base version, but can go up to 16 GB of RAM in its most high-end version, and uses a different SoC, the Samsung Exynos 2400 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
This situation raises questions about the future of artificial intelligence in smartphones. Manufacturers promise up to 7 years of Android updates, like Samsung, but does this mean that the “real new features” will be limited on these distant updates? For example, will the 2024 Samsung Galaxy S24 benefit from local AI features in 2031? We absolutely don’t believe it.
For now, Gemini Nano is in developer preview. To access it, those interested must sign up for the Google AI Edge SDK for Android. Gemini Nano is already partially used on the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24.