Smarter Phones For Less: AI Power Arrives On Cheaper Devices

Big tech advancements often start at the fancy, high-end devices before trickling down. It's a bit like how new Mercedes features eventually show up in a Toyota. Well, the same thing is happening with cutting-edge artificial intelligence for our phones, and that's good news for your wallet.

Google recently unveiled its latest AI brain for phones, called Gemini Intelligence. Initially, its most powerful versions, like Gemini Nano v3, were only available on the most expensive, top-shelf smartphones, such as the Google Pixel 9 or Samsung's latest foldable phones. These powerful AI features let your device do things like summarise long emails, improve photo quality on the fly, or even help you write messages more cleverly, all without needing an internet connection.

However, a company called MediaTek, which makes many of the chips inside our phones, has just released a new processor, the Dimensity 8550. This chip is built to power the mid-range devices – the ones that are still really good but don't cost an arm and a leg. The exciting part is that this new chip will allow these more affordable phones to run Google's advanced Gemini Nano v3 AI features. This means you won't have to shell out for the priciest smartphone to access the latest smart assistant capabilities.

What does this mean for everyday Aussies? It means that the clever AI features we're starting to see on premium phones will soon become much more accessible. Imagine your next phone, which might cost a few hundred dollars less, still being able to understand complex commands, generate creative text, or process information really quickly, all thanks to this new chip and Google's AI. It's about getting more bang for your buck and having a truly smart device in your pocket, regardless of your budget.