Most Galaxy Phones Won’t Meet Gemini Intelligence Requirements

One of the biggest announcements this week was Gemini Intelligence. It sounds impressive, but it comes with strict hardware and software requirements that raise the bar for Android devices. Not every Galaxy phone will make the cut.

Put simply, the entry barrier is higher than many users might expect. Google has outlined the requirements for Gemini Intelligence on Android in the fine print, and here’s what they include.

Gemini Intelligence requirements you need to know

The biggest requirement is the processor. It needs a flagship-class chip with a modern NPU. Gemini workloads rely heavily on on-device inference, so devices have to maintain performance without running into thermal limits. That rules out most midrange chips, along with some older flagships that lack proper AI acceleration.

Next up, the other requirement is memory. Phones must ship with at least 12GB of RAM, which reflects the growing footprint of on device models and background AI processes. Features like real time transcription and contextual suggestions need persistent memory access, and anything lower creates bottlenecks under multitasking conditions.

The most critical requirement is support for Gemini Nano v3. This is the latest iteration of Google’s on device language model and introduces improved prompt handling, faster inference, and broader API support. Devices running Nano v2 lack the necessary framework support, which means key Gemini Intelligence features simply won’t run.

Google is also tying Gemini Intelligence to long term software commitments. Eligible devices must support at least five Android OS upgrades and around six years of security updates. This ensures that AI capabilities evolve over time and remain secure, rather than becoming outdated within a couple of release cycles.

Finally, there are strict quality-of-service requirements. Devices must meet Google’s internal benchmarks for crash rates, latency, and overall stability during AI workloads. Curious, which Galaxy phones will make the cut? You can check out the list in another article. Spoiler alert: there’s only three of them with full support.