When Google announced Gemini Intelligence — a platform for autonomous execution of multi-step tasks in the background, working with apps and websites without user involvement — it seemed obvious that cheap phones wouldn't qualify. It turned out to be more complicated.
Where the line is drawn — and why it's strange
In a footnote on the official Gemini Intelligence page, Google specified minimum requirements: a flagship chip, 12 GB of RAM or more, support for AI Core and Gemini Nano v3 or newer. The device must also receive at least 5 Android updates and 6 years of security updates, as well as meet quality requirements based on failure rates.
The RAM requirement is predictable. The surprise is Nano v3. Gemini Intelligence features work on the device through the Gemini Nano v3 model, which is why the hardware requirements are so specific: 12 GB of RAM is a practical minimum, not an arbitrary threshold.
Google's developer page listing compatible devices shows almost exclusively 2026 releases — with Pixel 10 and OPPO Find X9 as 2025 exceptions. This means that Galaxy S25 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro, and Z Fold 7 — all premium devices from last year — are blocked not because of RAM or chip, but because of which version of the AI model they run.
"The Gemini Nano v3 requirement means that Google's own Pixel 9 series flagship doesn't meet the Gemini Intelligence criteria. Google has essentially created a feature that its newest previous phones cannot run."
Android Authority
The Pixel 11 paradox
The situation is aggravated by the company's future flagship. The 12-gigabyte RAM threshold creates an awkward question about Pixel 11: leaks suggest the base model may come with only 8 GB of RAM — which would exclude Google's own next budget flagship from its own primary AI feature. Either the Pixel 11 RAM leak is false, or Google plans an exception for its own hardware, or the base Pixel 11 simply won't run Gemini Intelligence.
What those who qualify will get
Gemini Intelligence allows autonomous execution of multi-step tasks entirely in the background — gathering information, transforming it, and interacting with apps and websites without constant user commands. Confirmed features include Rambler for Gboard, which naturally handles filler words and language mixing, as well as "Create my Widget" for generating contextual home screen widgets.
It's worth noting: the 12 GB RAM requirement is already higher than the 8 GB Apple requires for Apple Intelligence support on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
When and for whom
- Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to be the first device with Gemini Intelligence — around July 2026, as it will ship with Nano v3 support.
- Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 are expected to receive the features that same summer.
- Gemini Intelligence will also appear on Googlebook — new devices running an OS that combines Android and ChromeOS.
Whether Google will update existing devices to Nano v3 through software remains an open question. If not, millions of owners of expensive phones won't have access to the cross-app automated agent and "Create my Widget" feature.
If Google doesn't reveal a Nano v3 update roadmap for Pixel 9 and Galaxy series before Z Fold 8 sales launch in July, owners of last year's flagships will have concrete reason to believe that "on-device" artificial intelligence is actually an upgrade marketing strategy, not a technological necessity.
