Google's current-gen flagship smartphone lineup, the Pixel 8, will not run the Gemini Nano, its version coming to the smartphone and will be a special version for these devices. This is despite Google's take on AI and the advancement of its technology, alongside the massive promises on AI phones for the Pixel, one that is speculated to go the same path as Samsung's Galaxy S24.
Pixel 8 Won't Run Gemini Nano Due to 'Hardware Limitations'
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Tech insider Mishaal Rahman shared the latest claim by Google on its Mobile World Congress wrap-up video, stating that the base version Pixel 8 would not get the Gemini Nano. This news came from Google's Terrence Zhang, a Gemini-on-Android team member, who said that Nano would not be available on the Pixel 8 "because of some hardware limitations."
Zhang further said that it is now available on the Pixel 8 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24, further saying that "It'll be coming to more high-end devices in the near future."
Gemini Nano is the smallest size from the Gemini AI lineup from Google last month, one which it designed for smartphones, focusing on an "on-device AI."
This recent statement only confirms more that Gemini Nano would be exclusive to flagship smartphones of the company, albeit, for high-end Android devices. However, this is still contradicting as Google made Gemini Nano available to the entire S24 series, even for its base variant, and not to the Ultra only.
Additionally, both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro feature the same Tensor G3, but where they differ are their screen size, cameras, and RAM-with the Pixel 8 featuring only 8GB and the Pixel 8 Pro offering 12GB for users.
Google's AI and the Pixel 8 Series
Last year's Pixel 8 series brought massive upgrades since the 2022 version of the smartphone, but there were only slight deviations from its design and other features for the device. One of the main updates of the Pixel 8 was with its SoC, now featuring the Tensor G3 chipset which promised improvements from 2022's Tensor G2, alongside a slight battery upgrade for the device.
Google's AI has not shied away from the Pixel 8 series, as the company brought out several tools and features to the smartphone lineup for better capabilities. One of the top tools to arrive here was the AI-powered Magic Editor which is available via the Photos app, a feature that Google made exclusive for the Pixel 8 series.
Before the year ended, Google introduced the Gemini AI, its multimodal AI model which was said to be a game changer, but it faced significant scrutiny earlier this year and will relaunch soon with fixes.
Despite being Google's current smartphone lineup with the latest of what it has to offer on technology, there are still limitations for its base variant which could not fulfill AI's arrival. The Pixel 8 would not have the Gemini Nano, the smartphone-centric AI model, because of hardware limitations, but is coming to the Pixel 8 Pro whilst having the same Tensor G3 chip.
