Can I run a local LLM on Pixel 8?

Yes, at the right size. Pixel 8 has about 4 GB usable. Try Qwen 3 4B Instruct 2507, Phi-4 Mini Instruct, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct in LM Mini. Bigger models belong on a PC via Connect.

How much RAM does Pixel 8 really have for AI?

8 GB advertised, ~4 GB left for weights + KV cache. That is why 7B Q4 fails on many 8 GB phones.

Android · 2023 · Tensor G3

Local AI on the Pixel 8

8 GB Pixel. Qwen 3 1.7B in the app is the no-drama choice; 4B if you close Chrome.

Advertised RAM: 8 GB
Usable for a model: ~4 GB
Compute: Vulkan
LM Mini path: GGUF / Vulkan

Start in LM Mini

Install the app, pick one of these, chat offline.

Qwen 3 4B Instruct 2507 Fits · ~2.4–2.5 GB

Balanced daily driver for Pro phones and Macs — quality without a desktop GPU.

Phi-4 Mini Instruct Fits · ~2.3–2.4 GB

Strong reasoning in a phone-friendly package — great for explanations and code-ish help.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct Fits · ~1.9–2.0 GB

Noticeably smarter than 1B — good for writing help and longer chats on Pro phones.

Qwen 3 1.7B Runs well · ~1.1–1.2 GB

Best everyday phone pick for most people — chat, tools, and general help.

Get LM Mini and load a model that actually fits — on-device, or via Connect to a PC.

App Store Google Play Mac & more

What actually fits

Q4 weights plus KV cache. “Tight” means close Chrome first.

Model	Params	Q4	Here	Where
Qwen 3 0.6B	0.6B	~400–500 MB	Runs well	In LM Mini
Gemma 3 1B Instruct	1B	~700–750 MB	Runs well	In LM Mini
Llama 3.2 1B Instruct	1B	~700–808 MB	Runs well	In LM Mini
DeepSeek R1 Distill 1.5B	1.5B	~1.0–1.1 GB	Runs well	In LM Mini
Qwen 3 1.7B	1.7B	~1.1–1.2 GB	Runs well	In LM Mini
Qwen 3.5 0.8B	0.8B	~500–600 MB	Runs well	Studio / Ollama
SmolLM2 1.7B Instruct	1.7B	~1.0 GB	Runs well	Studio / Ollama
Qwen 2.5 1.5B Instruct	1.5B	~1.0 GB	Runs well	Studio / Ollama
Qwen 3.5 2B	2B	~1.3–1.5 GB	Runs well	Studio / Ollama
Gemma 3n E2B	2B	~1.5 GB	Runs well	Studio / Ollama
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct	3B	~1.9–2.0 GB	Fits	In LM Mini
Phi-4 Mini Instruct	3.8B	~2.3–2.4 GB	Fits	In LM Mini
Qwen 3 4B Instruct 2507	4B	~2.4–2.5 GB	Fits	In LM Mini
Gemma 4 E2B Instruct	2.3B	~1.4–1.8 GB (Q4/QAT)	Fits	Studio / Ollama
Qwen 2.5 3B Instruct	3B	~1.9 GB	Fits	Studio / Ollama
SmolLM3 3B	3B	~1.9 GB (Q4)	Fits	Studio / Ollama
Nemotron 3 Nano 4B	4B	~2.5 GB (Q4)	Fits	Studio / Ollama
Qwen 3.5 4B	4B	~2.5–2.8 GB	Fits	Studio / Ollama
Gemma 3n E4B	4B	~2.6 GB (Q4)	Fits	Studio / Ollama
Gemma 3 4B Instruct	4B	~2.7–3.7 GB	Tight	In LM Mini
Gemma 4 E4B Instruct	4.5B	~2.6–3.2 GB (Q4/QAT)	Tight	Studio / Ollama

Too big for this phone

Host these on LM Studio or Ollama, then chat from Pixel 8.

How we score this

Pixel 8 ships with 8 GB. After Android we budget ~4 GB for inference. A 7B Q4 is ~4.4 GB on disk and wants ~6.5 GB live — that is why it fails on most 8 GB phones. 12–16 GB Android can try 8B. Apple 8 GB phones should live in 1B–4B.