Joe Maring / Android Authority
We’ve been talking nonstop about the Pixel 10 series since its announcement in August. And for good reason: there’s a lot to discuss! Between new camera features, Pixelsnap, and new AI tools, the Pixel 10 family has kept us busy.
As with all Pixel phones released over the last couple of years, a big selling point for the Pixel 10 is Gemini. Google’s Tensor G5 chip enables faster and more reliable Gemini interactions on the Pixel 10, and while that’s great, I’d argue that — despite what Google leads you to believe — the Pixel 10 isn’t the best phone for Gemini.
Instead, that title should belong to some of Google’s older Pixel phones, and there’s a very important reason why.
Squeezing for Gemini just feels right
Joe Maring / Android Authority
When Google released the Pixel 2 series in 2017, one of the big new features was something called “Active Edge.” Active Edge allowed you to squeeze the sides of the Pixel 2 to summon Google Assistant, meaning Google’s digital helper was always within reach.
If you’ve never used Active Edge, I understand that this may sound silly. But in practice, it was phenomenal. You didn’t have to reach across your phone screen or stretch your finger to the power button to activate Google Assistant. Instead, all you had to do was give your phone a little squeeze while holding it normally, and like magic, Google Assistant would appear.
Active Edge was also present on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 lineups before it was eventually discontinued on the Pixel 5. While reminiscing about Active Edge with my colleague Hadlee a couple of weeks ago, I started thinking: Would Active Edge still work with Gemini?
In practice, Active Edge was phenomenal.
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