Google officially unveiled “Gemini Intelligence” – its most advanced suite of AI features yet for mobile phones – at The Android Show last week. However, the tech giant has also quietly slipped in some incredibly steep hardware requirements, which means millions of relatively new premium phones are already locked out. It is to be noted that the strict criteria effectively disqualifies popular recent flagships, including the entire Google Pixel 9 series and even Samsung’s expensive Galaxy Z Fold 7.
What is Gemini Intelligence
Gemini Intelligence is Google’s next-generation, on-device AI capabilities. Built for premium Android devices, it introduces tools like a deeply intuitive smart autofill, an advanced Gboard voice-to-text system codenamed “Rambler,” and a feature called “Create My Widget,” which uses AI to build custom home screen tools on the fly.
According to a footnote discovered on Google’s official Gemini Intelligence page, your phone must meet a laundry list of extreme technical specifications to run these new features. These baseline requirements include:
- A modern “flagship” processor.
- A minimum of 12GB of RAM.
- Support for Google's latest AI Core and the unreleased Gemini Nano v3 model architecture.
- The device must be promised at least 5 major Android OS upgrades and 6 years of regular security updates.
- It must also meet strict baseline standards for low app-crash rates.
Android phones eligible for Google Gemini Intelligence
The most exclusive barrier is the requirement for Gemini Nano v3. According to a Google developer page, Nano v3 is currently reserved almost exclusively for phones releasing in late 2026, alongside a select few exceptions like the Google Pixel 10 series and the Oppo Find X9 series. Since older phones like the Pixel 9 lineup and Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 are built on the older Nano v2 architecture, they are currently ineligible for Gemini Intelligence.
Gemini Nano v3 Devices
- Google: Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold
- Honor: Honor Magic 8 Pro
- iQOO: iQOO 15
- Motorola: Signature
- OnePlus: OnePlus 15, OnePlus 15R
- OPPO: Find X9, Find X9 Pro, Find X8, Find X8 Pro, Reno 14 Pro 5G, Reno 15 Pro 5G, Reno 15 Pro Mini 5G, Reno 15 Pro Max 5G
- Realme: realme GT 7T
- Samsung: Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Vivo: vivo X200T, vivo X200, vivo X200 Pro, vivo X300, vivo X300 Pro
Gemini Nano v2 Devices
- Google: Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold
- Honor: Magic V5, Magic 7, Magic 7 Pro
- iQOO: iQOO 13
- Motorola: Razr 60 Ultra, Razr Ultra 2025
- OnePlus: OnePlus 13, OnePlus 13s
- OPPO: Find N5
- POCO: POCO F7 Ultra, POCO F8 Pro, POCO F8 Ultra, POCO X7 Pro, POCO X8 Pro
- Realme: realme GT 7 Pro
- Samsung: Galaxy Z Fold7, Galaxy Z TriFold
- Vivo: vivo X200 FE, vivo T4 Ultra
- Xiaomi: Xiaomi 14T Pro, Xiaomi 15, Xiaomi 15T, Xiaomi 15T Pro, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra, Xiaomi Pad Mini
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