Google is preparing to unveil the next major phase of Android during its annual Google I/O event on May 19, but the company has already revealed several features ahead of time.
And unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence is at the centre of everything.
The biggest addition to Android is Gemini Intelligence, an upgraded AI system designed to automate everyday tasks directly on your phone. But there’s a catch: not every Android device will support it.
In fact, many older or mid-range phones could miss out entirely.
What Is Gemini Intelligence?
Gemini Intelligence is essentially the next evolution of Google’s Gemini AI assistant, which has already started replacing Google Assistant on Android devices.
The new system can understand requests through voice or text and then complete actions across apps installed on your phone.
According to Google, users will be able to:
- Order food through delivery apps
- Book taxi rides using apps like Uber
- Find files and information from Gmail
- Add products to shopping carts automatically
- Fill out forms with one tap
- Create custom widgets using AI tools
Google says the idea is to remove “tedious tasks” so users can focus on other things while Gemini handles the background work.
Which Android Phones Will Get the Update?
Right now, Google has confirmed that the first wave of Gemini Intelligence features will arrive on:
- Google Pixel 10 series
- Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup
The company also confirmed that support will expand later this year, but only to Android’s “most advanced devices.”
That wording is important.
Although Google has not shared an official compatibility list yet, the new AI features will likely require: powerful flagship-level processors, High RAM capacity, Modern AI-focused chips, and newer Android versions.
This means many older Android phones may never receive the full Gemini Intelligence experience.
Phones That Could Miss Out
While Google hasn’t officially named unsupported devices, industry expectations suggest several older phones could struggle to qualify.
Devices likely at risk include:
- Older Samsung Galaxy A-series phones
- Budget Redmi and Poco devices
- Mid-range Motorola phones
- Older OnePlus models
- Pixel phones released several generations ago
The reason is simple: on-device AI processing requires significantly more power than standard Android updates.
Modern AI tools depend heavily on dedicated neural processors and advanced chipsets, something older smartphones simply were not designed for.
Android Is Also Getting Smarter Voice Features
A standout enhancement to come on Gboard soon is called Rambler.
Rambler significantly enhances how voice typing works by automatically fixing up any spoken sentences as they are written out.
As an example, if someone decides to correct something halfway through speaking, Rambler will understand a correction in a more natural way and won’t require an exact transcription of what someone said.
Google illustrated how the feature eliminates filler speech like “um” and “ah,” while allowing users to implement conversational edits in real-time.
Based on this information, Rambler has the potential to become one of the most valuable improvements to Android smartphones in daily use, particularly when it comes to text messaging and productivity.
The other major point being highlighted as a result of Google’s announcements is that future Android OS upgrades may not be consistent across devices alike.
In years past, when all Android users had the same core features eventually. Now, since all new features or enhancements are driven by artificial intelligence, which will generally require an expensive piece of hardware to take full advantage of them, new flagship Android devices can gain unique features at a faster rate than previously released Android devices will have access to them.
Also Read: Google’s Latest Update Shows the AI-First Smartphone Is No Longer A Concept
