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Pixel 8 left behind: Google reveals Gemini Nano won't come to base model
- It was revealed on #TheAndroidShow that Gemini Nano is not coming to Pixel 8.
- It appears hardware limitations are to blame.
- Gemini Nano will come to more high-end devices in the near future.
The Pixel 8 Pro has Gemini Nano, leaving Pixel 8 owners wondering when the on-device AI will come to the base model. It’s looking like the answer to that question is it won’t.
Today, Google pushed out the latest episode of the #TheAndroidShow, where it discussed a number of topics including MWC, Android 15, and Gemini Nano. When the show got to the Q&A portion, however, there was an interesting revelation.
According to Terence Zhang, a developer relations engineer at Google, Gemini Nano won’t be coming to the Pixel 8. It appears the reason why Gemini Nano will skip the Pixel 8 is “because of some hardware limitations.”
While the Pixel 8 will miss out on Gemini Nano, the AI should arrive on other devices soon. Zhang continues on saying that Google is currently working to bring the mobile-friendly LLM to more mobile devices. However, he adds that the AI will be coming to top high-end devices.
Gemini Nano is Google’s smallest AI model and is designed to run locally on smartphones and other low-power devices. It’s unclear exactly what hardware limitations are preventing Google from adding the AI to the Pixel 8. We have reached out to Google for further clarification and we’ll update this article when more information is available.