All change for Android
getty
Bad news for hundreds of millions of owners of Android smartphones. It turns out that if you want Google’s latest upgrade, anything other than a 2026 phone won’t be good enough. And that means even Samsung’s nearly new, $1500-plus Galaxy S25 doesn’t make the cut.
As Android specialists @AssembleDebug have just warned, Google’s new “Gemini Intelligence features are only available on Android devices with the most advanced capabilities and spec requirements.” That means Google’s Pixel 10 series and Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series.
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Google says Gemini Intelligence has been built with security and privacy at its center. This is about automating tasks, but that comes with risks. “Because great AI experiences require uncompromising privacy, we’ve grounded Gemini Intelligence on Android in three core principles.” Those are “explicit user control, comprehensive data protection (and) operational transparency.”
All change for Android
getty
Per SammyFans, “Gemini Intelligence is officially arriving first on Samsung phones, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Fold 7 might already be outdated. Google’s new Gemini Intelligence platform landed this week with a requirements list that reads like a bouncer deciding who gets into the club, and some very expensive Samsung Galaxy phones didn’t make the cut.” Phones also need “at least five Android OS upgrades and six years of quarterly security patches.”
“Whatever the case,” 9to5Google says, “Google says that Gemini Intelligence will make its debut on Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices later this year, with a report suggesting that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be the first to launch the new features. ”
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Google says “with (these new) AI powered features, users have granular authority to opt-in and out of entire features or disable specific components at any time. By putting the choice in your hands, we ensure that AI assistance feels like a helpful partner rather than an intrusive presence.” But “Gemini Intelligence features are only available on Android devices with the most advanced capabilities and spec requirements.” And that means a 2026 smartphone, it now seems.