Google just rolled out its new Pixel 10 phones. They’re making a big splash, pushing hard on speed, great photos, and especially artificial intelligence. The hardware inside is built to deliver on these promises. But here’s the interesting bit: it turns out the Pixel 10 actually has less RAM available for your everyday apps. Guess what? Google’s AI is the reason.
The Pixel 10’s AI Strategy
These new phones boast some serious upgrades. They pack the first Tensor G5 chip, which is made using a super-small 3-nanometer process. The base model comes with a solid 12 GB of RAM. However, not all of that memory is for you to play with. A full 3 GB of that RAM is set aside just for the phone’s AI brains.
This decision puts Google in an interesting spot. While other phones might beat it on raw processing power for some tasks, the Pixel 10 truly shines when it comes to AI. That’s because the Tensor chip’s NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and AICore, which handle all the smart stuff, need a lot of dedicated memory. It’s a different game plan compared to last year’s Pixel 9.
With the Pixel 9, all 12 GB of RAM were generally open for apps. The phone would pull in AI resources only when they were needed. For the Pixel 10, Google decided to lock down 3 GB of RAM specifically for AI processing right from the start.
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Pixel 9 – RAM
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Pixel 10 – RAM
The Trade-Offs for Instant AI
This change has a clear upside: it eliminates those little hiccups Pixel 9 users sometimes experienced. Running AI tasks on the older model could feel a bit slow. Now, on the Pixel 10, those AI features snap into action instantly. This means anything that relies on AI, from photo edits to smart suggestions, works much faster.
But there’s always a trade-off, isn’t there? By giving AI its own chunk of memory, there’s less RAM left over for other apps to run in the background. If you’re someone who keeps a dozen apps open at once, you might notice a difference. The Pixel 10 Pro, with its larger 16 GB of RAM, definitely offers more wiggle room here.
Still, for most people’s daily use, 9 GB of free RAM is more than enough. Plus, Google is always pushing out updates. If they keep finding ways to make the RAM even more efficient, this dedicated AI memory might not be a big deal for those who pick up the standard Pixel 10.