Can SmolLM2 1.7B run on Pixel 9?
YES — Runs great
Grade S · 100/100 · formula estimate
What this means
Our estimate says SmolLM2 1.7B should fit comfortably on your Pixel 9.
Download the Q4_K_M version, which is about 1.1 GB. We expect it to use about 1.9 GB of the roughly 9 GB available to a model on this phone.
At the estimated speed, a roughly 300-word answer may take about 14 seconds to finish.
This result is calculated from the phone and model specifications. It has not been measured on this exact phone and setup.
27.9tokens/s
estimated · instant
1.9GB
needed at Q4_K_M
Q4_K_M
quant checked
S
grade · 100/100
needs 1.9 GBusable 9 GB
Google Tensor G412 GB RAMCPU / GPU
See how fast it feels
Estimated at 27.9 tokens/s — instant. A ~300-word reply takes about 14 seconds on this phone.
Where the memory goes
| Component | Detail | GB |
|---|---|---|
| Model weights | Q4_K_M GGUF (1.1 GB) + mmap overhead | 1.2 |
| KV cache | 4K context window | 0.1 |
| Runtime | llama.cpp + app overhead | 0.6 |
| Total needed | at Q4_K_M, 4K context | 1.9 |
| Usable on Pixel 9 | 12 GB RAM − Android system reserve | 9 |
| Headroom | left for the OS and your other apps | 7.1 |
Pick your quant
| Quant | Download | Verdict | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 0.7 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~43.9 tokens/s |
| IQ4_XS | 0.9 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~34.2 tokens/s |
| Q3_K_M | 0.9 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~34.2 tokens/s |
| Q4_0 | 1 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~30.7 tokens/s |
| Q4_K_S | 1 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~30.7 tokens/s |
| Q4_K_M BEST HERE | 1.1 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~27.9 tokens/s |
| Q5_K_M | 1.2 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~25.6 tokens/s |
| Q6_K | 1.4 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~22 tokens/s |
| Q8_0 | 1.8 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~17.1 tokens/s |
Get it running in 3 steps
1
Install PocketPal from the Play Store — free, no account needed.
2
Download "SmolLM2 1.7B Q4_K_M" in the in-app model hub — 1.1 GB, use Wi-Fi. Search Hugging Face for
bartowski/SmolLM2-1.7B-Instruct-GGUF and pick the Q4_K_M file.3
Set context to 4K — expect ~27.9 tokens/s on this phone.
Related checks
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SMOLLM2 1.7B ON OTHER PHONES