A noteworthy aspect of the Google Pixel 9a budget-friendly smartphone is the provision of 8GB RAM, which is less than the 12GB in the larger Pixel 9 model with the Gemini Nano chipset. The pivotal question of today is whether 8GB RAM is sufficient for running new AI features or not.
Google’s response is that the Pixel 9a utilizes the Gemini Nano 1.0 XXS model, which is smaller in size and can be squeezed into the Pixel 9a. Moreover, the XXS model does not run continuously like the larger Pixel models but loads models only when in use.
Another limitation of the XXS model is that it is a text-only model and does not support multimodal data types such as images or sound, rendering some Pixel 9 features that require image or sound processing, like Pixel Screenshots and Call Notes, unusable on the Pixel 9a.
Nevertheless, the feature of summarizing recorded voice messages using the Recorder app still functions as the app transcribes the voice into text without needing Gemini (using an older model) and then allows Gemini to summarize the text again.
The Pixel 9a is considered the first Pixel model with fewer features than the flagship models, as Google has previously used the same software features across all models, differing only in some hardware specs. However, when the hardware specs (in this case, RAM) become a limitation of the software itself, Google does not have many options.
Source: Ars Technica
TLDR: The Google Pixel 9a offers 8GB RAM, utilizing the Gemini Nano 1.0 XXS model, which has limitations in running multimodal features but still supports certain functionalities like voice message summarization. The Pixel 9a marks a departure from Google’s past strategy of software feature uniformity across Pixel models, highlighting the impact of hardware limitations on software capabilities.
Leave a Comment