One reason I look forward to Google Pixel launches is the number of software (including AI) features that’ll be on show. It gives me a glimpse of what to expect on my Samsung.
Many of these features are Pixel-only, and that’s understandable. However, a few eventually reach Samsung and other OEMs.
The head-scratcher is when a feature is good enough for the Pixel 11 but not the Pixel 10.
Stranger still, when a feature is good enough for the Samsung Galaxy S26 but not my S24 Ultra or even your S25. Here’s what I’m talking about.
Some Pixel 11 features will reach the S26, but not older devices
What’s good for the goose is not good for the gander?
While several of the Pixel 11’s best features will not get to other devices, especially from other OEMs, some will, but only to 2026 flagships.
Gemini Intelligence is Google’s umbrella for some of its most powerful, and in my opinion, game-changing AI capabilities.
It includes headline features like Rambler, which lets you dictate notes the way you speak (the umms, OKs, repetitions, decision changes, and rambling — pun intended) and gives you a clean, sendable text, and Create My Widget, which lets you describe a feature, and Gemini creates a widget for it on your home screen.
Gemini Intelligence also comes with better autofill that understands your form’s fields instead of simply matching answers to names. Then, there’s task automation. You give it a command, it opens the relevant app, taps through it, and stops just before payment for you to review and proceed.
These are good features that I see myself using, especially Rambler and task automation. Autofill is automatic, so I’d always have it on. Create My Widget should come in handy occasionally.
But these are software features, so why are they restricted to the latest flagships?
Why does Google exclude my S24 Ultra and your S25?
The thing is, most of these AI features perform some or all of their processes on-device, using your NPU and RAM, and this can be quite heavy.
So, Google released a list of requirements to use these features. The standout ones include Android 17 or later, 12GB of RAM or more, and Gemini Nano v3 or newer.
The Android 17 requirement is straightforward. Create My Widget and Rambler are built into the launcher and Gboard, respectively. So, they need the latest version of Android, which has all the frameworks to support them. My S24 Ultra and your S25 are fine here.
12GB of RAM also makes sense because the model has to be loaded into your device’s memory. And since Nano v3 is bigger than earlier models, it’ll need more space. Again, our devices qualify (the S26 FE with 8GB of RAM doesn’t, though).
That leaves us with Gemini Nano, the AI model responsible for all the processing happening on your phone. Gemini Intelligence requires at least Nano v3, which qualifies the Pixel 10 and Galaxy S26.
Similarly, the Pixel 11, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Flip 8, with Nano v4, also qualify. However, the S25, the Pixel 9 (both v2), and the S24 (v1) do not.
Why, you ask?
I guess, because Google says so?
The tech giant hasn’t released any statements on why devices are locked to specific Nano versions.
It can’t be because of the chipset, because modern processors are powerful enough to handle anything you throw at them. Singling out the NPU doesn’t explain it either. The S26 shares the same chip as the Fold 8 and Flip 8, yet the former is on v3 and the latter two on v4.
My guess is that it has to do with device launch. Each phone is assigned the Nano version its processor supports at launch and isn’t updated afterward. Whether that’s because upgrading will consume too many resources or the tech giant hasn’t considered it, nobody knows.
However, I’d hope Google can roll out Nano version updates sometime in the future. Like OS upgrades.
Even the phones that meet the requirements are still waiting for some features. Both the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 still haven’t gotten anything beyond task automation. Rambler appears to be Pixel 11-only for now, and Create My Widget hasn’t landed on any device yet.
Galaxy S26 owners are locked out of some features
Even Pixel 10 owners (in some cases)
If it’s any consolation, Galaxy S26 owners don’t get all the Pixel 11’s AI features. Like many previous updates, Google has reserved some AI features for its flagships.
An example is Proactive Assistance (formerly Magic Cue), which helps you before you need it. It can pull your flight number and arrival time from your email if you’re answering a text from someone asking what time you land.
Similarly, Google’s improved Live Translate dubs videos and podcasts into your language, and camera features like Magic Capture, Camera Looks, and Creator Suite are Pixel-only.
I’m not even mad. Some of these features are truly game-changing and make me want to own a Pixel.
Magic Capture records a short video clip and automatically selects the best frames based on smiles and activity.
Camera Looks processes image data in unique ways at the sensor level to create photos with a specific look.
Creator Suite is a Pixel camera mode that gives you a teleprompter, voice enhancement, social media frame guides, and external microphone levels to help you create better content.
Interestingly, the camera features are limited to the Pixel 11 series, so you won’t get them on a Pixel 10.
Capable hardware isn’t enough these days
Long gone are the days of CPU clock speeds being the headline features of smartphone releases. With newer launches, it’s becoming increasingly clear that software (and AI, by extension) is the future.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
It’s normal to miss out on new features if your old hardware can’t support them. However, it feels strange to have a device powerful enough to run any feature and not get it.
Maybe there’s a technical reason behind it. Or perhaps it’s just clever marketing.
While I’m not upgrading my S24 Ultra over this — your S25 is fine, too — I can’t deny that I’m now considering getting a base Pixel 11 as a second device.
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- SoC
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Google Tensor G6
- RAM
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12GB
- Operating System
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Android 17
- Year of release
-
2,026
- Storage
-
256 or 512GB
- Battery
-
4985 mAh
The Pixel 11 is Google’s most recent entry-level flagship device expected to get all its AI features.
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- SoC
-
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM
-
12GB
- Operating System
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Android 16
- Year of release
-
2,026
- Storage
-
256 or 512 GB
- Battery
-
4,300 mAh
The Galaxy S26 is Samsung’s most recent entry-level flagship device, and it gets a few AI features.
