AI Models for Pixel 8 Pro — What runs on 12GB

32 great · 17 slow · 44 won't fit
Chip
Google Tensor G3
Memory bandwidth
68.3 GB/s
NPU
RAM options
12 GB
Usable for models
~9 GB
Year
2023

Specs checked against manufacturer and public documentation on .

What runs on the Pixel 8 Pro

All 93 models at their recommended quant, on the 12GB configuration. Select any row for the full report.

ModelParamsQuantNeedsSpeedVerdict

~ = bandwidth-based estimate · ✓ = measured on real hardware

Best model by use case

Best for Chat

Top everyday assistant & writing pick here — ~51.2 tokens/s at Q8_0, using 1.3 of ~9GB.

Best for Coding

Top code completion & explain-this pick here — ~16.2 tokens/s at Q4_K_M, using 2.8 of ~9GB.

Best for Reasoning

Top math & step-by-step thinking pick here — ~27.9 tokens/s at Q4_K_M, using 1.9 of ~9GB.

FAQ

What is the biggest AI model the Pixel 8 Pro can run?

Bonsai 27B (1-bit) (27B parameters) at Q1_0 — it needs 4.8GB of the ~9GB usable on the 12GB Pixel 8 Pro and runs at ~8.1 tokens/s.

How much of the Pixel 8 Pro's 12GB RAM can AI models actually use?

About 9GB. Android keeps roughly 2–4GB for the system and resident apps, so of the 12GB about 9GB is actually available to a model.

Can the Pixel 8 Pro run Llama 3.1 8B?

Yes — at Q4_K_M it needs 6.3GB of the ~9GB usable and runs at ~6.3 tokens/s.

How fast is local AI on the Pixel 8 Pro?

The Google Tensor G3 has 68.3GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is what decode speed scales with. Small models like Ternary Bonsai 1.7B reach ~61.5 tokens/s; larger 7–14B models land in the single digits. Anything above ~8 tokens/s feels smooth for chat.

Which quantization should I use on the Pixel 8 Pro?

Q4_K_M is the size/quality sweet spot for most models. For example, Qwen3 0.6B at Q8_0 takes 1.3GB of memory here. Only drop to Q3 or IQ4 if a model just misses fitting; Q8 rarely pays off on 12GB of RAM.

Is 12GB of RAM enough for local AI?

49 of the 93 models we track fit on the Pixel 8 Pro — 32 run great and 17 run with compromises. 44 models (mostly 12B+) don't fit at their recommended quant.

Other Google phones

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