At last, Google is adding support for the Gemini Nano AI model to the base Pixel 8 handsets

Though it had earlier claimed that the device couldn’t handle the on-device AI owing to “hardware limitations,” Google has now changed its mind and revealed that it would bring its Gemini AI model to the standard Pixel 8 smartphone.

Built to operate locally on Android smartphones, the Gemini Nano is the tiniest iteration of Google’s newest big language model, Gemini. The Gemini Nano powers the AI functions of the Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S24, and the regular Pixel 8 will soon follow suit.

Gemini Nano will be available for the Pixel 8 as a developer preview in the next Feature Drop update. This should enable Google to get feedback and guarantee seamless performance on the somewhat less powerful phone, which has a little less powerful Tensor G3 CPU than the Pro variant but less RAM.
The Pixel 8 will have two primary capabilities powered by Gemini Nano: Gboard’s Smart Reply and the Recorder app’s enhanced summarization functionality. The summarise function of the Recorder app operates fully on-device without requiring a network connection, producing bullet points based on recorded conversations. Gboard’s Smart Reply is anticipated to roll out to other messaging applications in the next few months, providing context-aware message answers.
Google’s announcement that Gemini Nano would be available on the Pixel 8 is unexpected considering the company’s prior claims about hardware constraints. The Pixel 8 Pro variant has 12 GB of RAM, whereas the regular model only offers 8 GB. Google’s decision seems to have been motivated by Samsung’s successful integration of Gemini Nano on the Galaxy S24, which is also available with an 8 GB RAM option.
Pixel enthusiasts and Android experts, who had previously questioned Google’s decision to exclude the basic Pixel 8 model from the on-device AI capabilities, have reacted enthusiastically to the reversal. Some have even jocularly claimed that peer pressure and public pressure caused the shift.
The Gemini Nano should be available for Pixel 8 phones with the next June Android 13 QPR3 release, which is anticipated to bring around the next feature drop.