For those who wish to use Google’s AI technology on less expensive phones, those who frequently forget their phones, and photographers who want a little more control, the company’s most recent feature release for Pixel smartphones is significant.
The most recent update, which is now being distributed, will let owners of Pixel 8 Pro phones to choose the mobile-ready Gemini Nano variant on their Pixel 8 and Pixel 8A phones as well.
Apple recently unveiled a plethora of new artificial intelligence (AI) features for its platforms, but like Google, which later withdrew its initial announcement, Apple has limited Apple Intelligence to owners of the most recent iPhone 15 Pro.
To enable it, though, you will need to access the developer options on those slightly less powerful devices. Vice president of Google Devices & Services Software Seang Chau explained that toggle in an interview with the Made by Google podcast as a decision made to limit its use for users who are aware of the “possible impact to the user experience” of using an AI model on a device with less memory available to support features like Summarize in Recorder and Smart Reply.
You can also view “more detailed, downloadable summaries” of recorded conversations if you’re using a Pixel 8 Pro or any other device with the Gemini Nano enabled in developer options. The availability of the Find My Device update, which can locate your phone even when it is off or the battery is depleted for “at least 23 hours,” and support for Display Port output via the USB-C jack when you want to view your phone’s interface on a larger screen are two other features exclusive to the Pixel 8 family in this set of updates.
Certain features, like as a new shortcut in the call log that makes it simple to perform a reverse phone number search and attempt to determine who called in the first place, are also making their way to older and less expensive Pixel phones. It will be compatible with the Pixel Fold, Pixel 6, and subsequent models of smartphones.
The ability to determine the “best moment” in a shot in HDR Plus is supported on the Pixel Fold, Pixel 6 and subsequent models, and other devices. The option to manually choose the camera lens you wish to use when snapping a picture is available on the Pixel Fold and the Pro models of the Pixel 6, 7, and 8 phones, but it will require a more expensive Pixel to utilize.
