AI-powered tools and services have become very popular nowadays. From using AI to get personalized recommendations about what to watch next on Netflix to using AI tools to rewrite what you want to express, AI is coming in handy in almost every aspect of life. Chatbots like ChatGPT have also allowed the usage of AI for various educational and informative purposes. The bottom line is that AI has become a race in the tech world with top brands jumping the bandwagon by unveiling their own AI assistants. It started with OpenAI’s ChatGPT followed by Facebook’s MetaAI and Google’s Bard which has now been rebranded as Gemini. These AI assistants come in various versions with each successive version being better than the last one.
Smartphones are increasingly incorporating AI capabilities, with offerings spanning from high-end models such as the Galaxy S24 Series to more affordable options like the Tecno Pova 6 Neo. Recently, Google has not only rebranded its AI assistant Bard to Gemini but has also introduced Gemini Nano. This new feature aims to enhance the AI experience on Android devices. In this article, we will explore what Gemini Nano is, highlight its features, and identify the smartphones that currently support this technology.
Google Gemini Nano is essentially an AI model developed by Google that operates directly on a user’s smartphone, enabling functionalities such as image description and summarization without requiring an internet connection. The term ‘Nano’ signifies that it is the smallest variant within the Gemini model family, designed for high efficiency and a strong emphasis on privacy. This compact AI model is compatible with devices like the latest Pixel 9 series, offering features such as chat reply suggestions, message drafting, and language translation for typed content. While Gemini Nano can process both text and audio, it does not support direct conversational interaction like ChatGPT, meaning it is not a fully conversational AI at this stage. Since it functions locally on devices, it does not transmit any data to Google’s servers, allowing it to operate offline and providing quicker response times along with enhanced privacy.
Gemini Nano does utilize a portion of your device’s memory as it operates in the background. This is one of the factors contributing to Google equipping the Pixel 9 series with 16GB of RAM. The requirement for memory implies that only Android smartphones with higher RAM, ample storage, and advanced chipsets will support Gemini Nano in the future. The objective of Gemini Nano is to seamlessly integrate AI features into the Android smartphone experience.
Currently, nineteen Android smartphones support Google Gemini Nano. These include Google’s own devices along with smartphones from brands like Samsung, Motorola, and Xiaomi. The devices that get Gemini Nano are-
Future premium Android smartphones are expected to arrive with Gemini Nano built in the form of a regular app.
Call Notes is a unique feature of Gemini Nano that is exclusive to the Pixel 9 series. This functionality allows users to record phone calls and subsequently generate a summary of the conversation using Gemini Nano. It is important to note that users must manually enable this feature for each call they wish to record and summarize. Additionally, the other party on the call will receive a notification stating, “Google Call Notes is on. The call is recorded,” ensuring they are aware that the conversation is being recorded. A comparable feature is available on Samsung Galaxy AI, which can process call recordings without an internet connection.
Magic Compose is a feature of Gemini Nano integrated into Google Messages, designed to generate suggested replies by analyzing the last 20 messages in a conversation. This functionality provides a wide range of writing styles, such as Formal, Excited, Chill, Engaging, Friendly, and even Shakespearean, enabling users to customize the tone of the AI-generated responses.
The Pixel recorder application utilizes the Gemini Nano framework to provide AI-generated summaries of audio recordings. The recently released Pixel 9 series features an upgraded model capable of summarizing recordings that exceed 30 minutes in length. In contrast, the Pixel 8 version is limited to summarizing audio of approximately fifteen minutes. A comparable functionality is available in the Galaxy AI Suite, integrated within Samsung’s Voice Recorder app. This feature operates on Google’s Pro Model, which functions exclusively in the cloud and can manage lengthy recordings, albeit with potential trade-offs in privacy and processing speed.
For the past decade, smartphone keyboards have provided next-word suggestions, but Google has now enhanced Gboard with Gemini Nano support to create ‘smart replies’ that exhibit ‘conversational awareness.’ In essence, the Google keyboard leverages Artificial Intelligence to propose responses tailored to your ongoing conversation. This feature is compatible with applications such as Kakao Talk, WhatsApp, and Line, although it is currently restricted to US English.
The new feature has been launched with the Pixel 9 series. It utilizes Gemini Nano to retrieve and recognize key information from earlier screenshots. The application includes a search bar, allowing users to request specific details such as a saved recipe, a tested remedy, or a friend’s address stored in the address book. The results are presented in clear English, eliminating the need to sift through a disorganized collection of screenshots for specific items. This AI processing occurs offline, ensuring precise results even when your gallery contains thousands of screenshots.
AI has been incorporated into Google’s specialized weather application through Gemini Nano. Previously, selecting the weather forecast would redirect users to the Google app, but now the Pixel Weather app provides enhanced data, improved widgets, a more intuitive user interface, and compatibility with Gemini Nano. This feature generates a concise summary of the weather forecast at the top of the app, allowing users to quickly grasp essential information such as expected rain, temperature, and other details without extensive reading. It also considers various factors, including UV Index and Air Quality Index (AQI), to offer a more comprehensive understanding of the weather in your vicinity.
Talkback is an accessibility feature on Android that has been enhanced by the multimodal capabilities of Gemini Nano. This feature provides comprehensive and detailed descriptions of images, aiding individuals who are blind or have low vision in comprehending the content displayed on their screens. Previous iterations of Talkback provided only basic descriptions; however, with the introduction of Gemini Nano, it now identifies specific landmarks and intricate details. It functions similarly to a reverse AI generator.
Gemini Nano is expected to get many more features which will be rolled out in future updates. Stay tuned to know more about what is next for Google Gemini Nano.
Source: Google Gemini Nano: What is it, Features, Supported Smartphones & More
