I just posted a few minutes ago about Gemini - Google’s “largest and most capable AI model. I find that news exciting because Gemini has been touted as a serious rival to OpenAI’s models and all the other leading models in the space.
What I’m really excited about is that Gemini is coming to the Pixel 8 Pro - today. Gemini 1.0 comes in three sizes. Gemini Nano is described by Google as “our most efficient model for on-device tasks” and the Pixel 8 Pro as “the first smartphone engineered for Gemini Nano”. It’s kind of obvious that it would be, but still good to see.
AI has already been a standout feature on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 phones, adding Gemini to the Pixel 8 Pro looks like another significant step towards the long list of new AI features promised at the Pixel 8 unveiling event. Here’s what the Pixel 8 Pro should be getting today:
The new Summarize feature in the excellent Recorder app, and Smart Reply in Gboard - though this is only usable in the WhatsApp app today. Google says more app support will be coming soon and I don’t see why this wouldn’t be adopted quickly. Google also says this about Gemini Nano on the 8 Pro:
Gemini Nano running on Pixel 8 Pro offers several advantages by design, helping prevent sensitive data from leaving the phone, as well as offering the ability to use features without a network connection. In addition to Gemini Nano now running on-device, the broader family of Gemini models will unlock new capabilities for the Assistant with Bard experience early next year on Pixel.
That Assistant with Bard mention is what catches my eye. I’ve seen Bard on the desktop make steady progress and, despite the goofy name, Assistant with Bard might be the one new AI feature I’m looking forward to most on the Pixel 8 Pro. It would be lovely if “early next year” ends up being in January.
A Fun Number Related to All of This: 3 Hours
Three hours is how long it took me to switch back to the Pixel 8 Pro after publishing the My Personal Clash of the Smartphone Titans post last week, where I talked about using the Nothing Phone 2 about 70% of the time, a lot more than I was using the Pixel 8 Pro. I can’t offer a good reason for the timing of that switch so soon after writing that post - other than my acknowledged schizophrenia with these two great phones. I can say that the reason I went back to the 8 Pro was all about three things I have consistently loved about the last two Pixel Pro series: the big beautiful display, the AI features (not even thinking about Gemini at that point), and their dedicated Titan security chip.