Samsung beats Google's Pixels to Gemini Intelligence launch

Samsung has become the unlikely launchpad for Google's flagship Gemini Intelligence feature set. Gemini Intelligence and Gemini Nano 4 have now arrived pre-installed in the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8, which become the very first smartphones to do so with Google’s latest on-device artificial intelligence model.

The surprising timing, in which rival products are the first to launch with the feature instead of Google’s own Pixel 11 series of phones, is an intriguing turn of events.

This was revealed by Google through a blog post for developers, where it mentioned that the foldable phones from Samsung come with Gemini Nano 4, based on Gemma 4 architecture and supporting over 140 languages.

Samsung’s Gemini Intelligence

The reason Samsung's devices qualify is straightforward: they meet Google's 12GB RAM minimum for Gemini Intelligence eligibility. 

The Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra run Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy with 12 or 16 GB of RAM. The Flip 8 uses Samsung's Exynos 2600 paired with 12GB of RAM. Both configurations clear the memory threshold that Google has set as its hardware requirement for the feature set.

That threshold has significant implications for Pixel 11. Google's upcoming flagship will almost certainly meet it, but Samsung has reached the market first with Gemini Intelligence already integrated.

Google is introducing an expanded task automation feature as the initial Gemini Intelligence capability on Samsung's foldables. The feature now works across more than 40 apps, representing significant expansion from earlier implementations.

Several features Google previewed in May remain unavailable: Create My Widget, Gboard Rambler (a keyboard tool), and Autofill with Google (which draws on Gemini Personal Intelligence). Google has not set a public timeline for when these features will reach the Fold 8, Flip 8, or other qualifying devices.