With all the new AI features that need a lot of resources, the experts at GizmoChina have looked at how much RAM you need in a smartphone. While 8GB will still be enough for day-to-day Android tasks in 2026, 12GB of RAM has become the minimum requirement for running Google Gemini Intelligence, the advanced on-device AI. The new features, like the smart voice recorder, voice-activated widget creation and multi-step automation, need 12GB of RAM and flagship-level chips like the Snapdragon 8 Elite or Tensor G5, which support the Gemini Nano v3 model. So, a lot of the high-end devices from 2025 (like the Pixel 9 Pro, Galaxy S25, Z Fold 7, and OnePlus 13) won’t get the full support for the new AI features. Only the 2026 line-ups meet the new requirements: Pixel 10, Galaxy S26, Z Fold 8, OnePlus 15 and Xiaomi 15. Apple’s requirements are more modest: 8GB of RAM is enough for Apple Intelligence, making all models from the iPhone 15 Pro onwards compatible.
The experts at GizmoChina have answered the question of how much RAM your smartphone actually needs in 2026. This advice is useful for Android users, but iPhone owners will find it helpful too, reports Gizhmochina.
Before, it was pretty straightforward: 4 GB was the baseline, 6 GB was comfortable, 8 GB was ‘with a margin’, and anything above that seemed like overkill.
But with all these new AI features that need a lot of resources, they’re saying the minimum requirement in 2026 will be 12 GB.
The big news is the announcement of Google Gemini Intelligence – a suite of advanced AI features that can automatically do complex, multi-step actions in the background. This includes a smart voice recorder, voice-activated widget creation, and multi-step automation across apps. All the calculations are done straight on the device.
Also, the requirements here start at 12 GB of RAM, which is 50% more than the 8 GB needed for Apple Intelligence. Also, the phone needs to have a really powerful processor, like the Snapdragon 8 Elite or Tensor G5, and it has to be able to support the Gemini Nano v3.
The thing is, even a lot of the expensive 2025 flagship models don’t meet the new requirements. For instance, the Pixel 9 Pro uses only Gemini Nano v2, so it won’t get full support for the new AI features. You’ll find the same goes for the Samsung S25, Samsung Z Fold 7 and OnePlus 13.
The latest models – the Pixel 10, Samsung Galaxy S26, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, OnePlus 15, Xiaomi 15, Vivo X300 and other devices released in 2026 – already meet the current requirements.
At Apple, it’s pretty straightforward: 8 GB of RAM is all you need for Apple Intelligence to work. So, all models from the iPhone 15 Pro and onwards are good to go with the company’s AI features.
To sum it up, when it comes to day-to-day tasks, an Android smartphone with 8GB of RAM should do the trick. But if you need the latest AI features, you’ll need to look for devices with 12GB of RAM, a top-of-the-range chipset from 2025–2026, and support for Gemini Nano v3.