December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop starts rolling out for Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and other Pixel devices

Google has announced in a blog post that it is now rolling out the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop to eligible devices. As the image below shows, Google has tied most features to the Pixel 8 Pro (curr. $799 on Amazon), although there are a few Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet-specific changes. Please note that this Feature Drop will be available to the Pixel 5a onwards, with the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 excluded despite running Android 14.

As usual, it could take a few days for Google to distribute its latest Feature Drop globally. Arguably, the biggest change is 'Gemini AI', the Nano version of which Google states runs locally on the Pixel 8 Pro's Tensor G3 chipset. Covered in a separate blog post, Gemini Nano introduces a summarise mode in the Recorder app and Smart Reply in Gboard, among other implementations.

Moreover, the new Feature Drop adds Video Boost for the Pixel 8 Pro, which should improve low-light video quality. Please see our dedicated Video Boost article for how this feature should work. Incidentally, Google is finally on the verge of enabling Smart Unlock on the Pixel Watch, a paired smartphone unlock method that first surfaced in mid-2022. Full details about the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop can be found in the video below and on Google's accompanying blog post.