what you need to know
- Google confirmed that unlike the Pro version, the standard Pixel 8 won’t come with the Gemini Nano, citing unspecified hardware limitations.
- The only performance difference between the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is RAM: 8GB on the Pixel 8 and 12GB on the Pro. Both share the Tensor G3 processor.
- While the Pixel 8 won’t come with Gemini Nano, Google plans to expand AI to more mobile devices, especially high-end Android phones.
Google has confirmed that the regular Pixel 8 won’t come with a Gemini Nano, unlike its Pro sibling.
On the latest episode of The Android Show, Google developer relations engineer Terence Zhang revealed that the Gemini Nano won’t be coming to the standard Google Pixel 8 due to “some hardware limitations,” as Mishaal Rahman pointed out.
The main performance gap between the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is RAM. The Pixel 8 comes with 8GB, while its larger sibling comes with 12GB. Other than that, they are twins with the same powerful processor – Google Tensor G3.
However, Zhang didn’t mention the specific hardware hurdles preventing the Gemini Nano from working its magic on the Pixel 8.
We’ve reached out to Google for clarification and will update this article when we hear back.
Gemini Nano is Google’s smallest large-scale language model designed to handle AI tasks directly on your device. All the heavy lifting is done locally, giving users peace of mind that their data will not be exposed due to any cloud-related mishaps.
However, the device features of the Gemini Nano are a double-edged sword. It relies on your device’s hardware to complete its tasks. Unfortunately, this is where the Pixel 8 misses out. This shortcoming also means that the Gemini Nano will always lag behind the Pro and Ultra, which utilize external servers for extra functionality.
Although the Pixel 8 will not experience Gemini Nano, AI is expected to land on other devices. Zhang revealed that Google plans to bring LLM to more mobile devices, although it will be limited to high-end Android phones.
MediaTek Dimensity 8300 and 9300 chipsets were updated last month to welcome the Gemini Nano.
This means phones such as the POCO X6 Pro and OPPO Reno 12 powered by the Dimensity 8300 SoC, as well as flagship models such as the Vivo X100 series, OPPO Find X7 and TECNO Phantom V2 Fold powered by the more powerful Dimensity 9300 SoC, may meet this requirement . In order to seize Gemini Nano in the future.