Not long ago, the question of RAM in smartphones seemed largely settled: 4 GB handled basic tasks, 6 GB was the norm, 8 GB offered a comfortable buffer, and 12 or 16 GB looked more like a marketing talking point. But in 2026, the picture is shifting. The culprit isn't social media, browsing, or gaming—it's on-device artificial intelligence, which is increasingly running directly on the device.
RAM remains the smartphone's "desktop": it holds open apps, tabs, background processes, and data the system needs to access quickly. For the average user, 8 GB is still plenty: messaging, camera, browsing, video, banking apps, and moderate multitasking shouldn't become a problem. Even Android's minimum requirements with full Google services now start at 6 GB, clearly marking the market's lower bound.
But Google's new AI features are raising the bar. At Google I/O 2026, the company introduced Gemini Intelligence—not a separate Gemini app, but a deeper system layer with features like improved dictation, creating widgets by voice command, and multi-step automation between apps. The key difference is that these tasks must run locally, without constantly sending data to the cloud. That's faster and more private, but it demands significantly more resources.
For full Gemini Intelligence capability, a smartphone needs at least 12 GB of RAM, a flagship chip like Snapdragon 8 Elite or Tensor G5, support for Android AICore, and the Gemini Nano v3 model. The latter turned out to be an unexpected filter: even expensive 2025 devices may not qualify if they use Gemini Nano v2. For example, the Pixel 9 Pro with 16 GB of RAM, Galaxy S25, Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and OnePlus 13 are not yet on the compatible list.
Devices expected to support Gemini Nano v3 are mostly 2026 models: Pixel 10, Galaxy S26, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8, OnePlus 15, Honor Magic 8 Pro, iQOO 15, and new models from OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi. Meanwhile, Apple's requirements are more relaxed: Apple Intelligence works on iPhones with 8 GB of RAM, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro and newer. So in Apple's ecosystem, the entry threshold for on-device AI is lower than Google's.
The practical takeaway is simple: 6 GB in 2026 is only suitable for a basic Android phone, 8 GB remains the sweet spot for most users, and 12 GB becomes the new minimum for those who want all of Google's latest AI features. Configurations with 16 GB or more no longer look like overkill; they're a way to keep a smartphone relevant for years to come.