Google has announced that it is bringing the Pixel 9a into the local market sometime next month, with a price tag that makes it a pretty appealing option compared to the other devices in the series. While it goes without saying that there will be some compromises, such as less RAM at 8GB, it’s worth noting what features you’ll be losing as a result.
Ars Technica reports that having less memory means the Pixel 9a runs the Google Gemini Nano 1.0 XXS as opposed to the Nano XS of the other devices. As such, the smaller AI model doesn’t always run in the background, and only loads when needed. It is also text only, so multi-modality whatsoever. Which in turn leads to the absence of Pixel Screenshots.
More importantly, you won’t get access to Pixel Calls with the Google Pixel 9a. Since the feature requires audio processing, the text-only Gemini Nano 1.0 XXS is unable to process it. Oddly enough though, the report notes that recorder summaries will still work fine, because the transcription is done without Gemini, which only summarises said transcript.
Because these are system level features that the Pixel 9a is missing, you can’t exactly make up for it by using Google Gemini on the web. If any of these features you absolutely need on your phone, then the Pixel 9a is probably not for you. Which is quite the shame as there’s such a huge price gap between it and the bade model pixel 9.
(Source: Ars Technica)
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