- Gemini Intelligence has some demanding hardware requirements that mean most phones will be excluded from the new software
- The main issue is that devices need to support Gemini Nano v3, but they also need at least 12GB of RAM, a ‘flagship’ chipset and more
- That means the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Google Pixel 9 line are unlikely to get Gemini Intelligence
If you’re looking forward to Gemini Intelligence, then hopefully you’ve got a newer and more advanced phone, otherwise you’ll probably need to upgrade your device first.
At the bottom of the official Gemini Intelligence page, Google states that its “features are only available on Android devices with the most advanced capabilities and specification requirements,” with those requirements including 12GB or more RAM, a “flagship” chipset, at least five years of operating system upgrades, and support for Gemini Nano v3 or higher, among others.
It’s a collectively limiting criterion, but as 9to5Google points out, Gemini Nano v3 support is the biggest barrier to entry, as it appears to be almost exclusively supported by 2026 phones.
According to a Google developer site, Nano v3 only works on the following phones (all of which also have at least 12GB of RAM, and therefore can presumably run Gemini Intelligence):
Some major absences
This means that the entire Google Pixel 9 series is excluded, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S25 line, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and several other very recent and high-profile phones.
Now, it’s possible that software updates could bring Gemini Nano v3 support – and potentially, therefore, Gemini Intelligence support – to some of these phones. But with the other requirements, there won’t be a large number of Android handsets that can run Gemini Intelligence.
And given Apple’s more restrictive approach to AI, Gemini Intelligence isn’t likely to come to iPhones either (we know Gemini Spark can run on iPhones via the Gemini app, but OS-level Gemini integration seems unlikely).
All of which is a shame, because Gemini Intelligence promises to be a powerful automation tool that performs multi-step tasks for you across apps, as well as offering other handy features like the ability to create your own widgets and deliver more polished voice-to-text.
If you have a compatible phone, then you should be able to access Gemini Intelligence sometime this year, with Samsung and Google devices being the first to get it, starting “this summer” — presumably meaning sometime between June and September.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
