I switched to a brand new Android assistant that makes Gemini look outdated

When Google introduced that it will be changing the Assistant with Gemini, I braced for what I assumed can be the inevitable: a feature-rich expertise marred by a irritating transition interval. Virtually precisely one 12 months later, nevertheless, the transition has really gone smoother than I anticipated. Setting reminders and controlling sensible house gadgets now work, and I haven’t discovered myself fully misplaced with out the previous Google Assistant. However whereas Gemini hasn’t been the catastrophe I feared, I can’t say it’s a transparent improve both.

For all of Google’s guarantees about deeper reasoning and higher-quality responses, I really feel like there’s little or no that Gemini can do this Assistant couldn’t. So once I realized that AI startup Perplexity was stepping as much as supply another, I used to be instantly curious to see the way it in comparison with Google’s previous and new assistants. And after per week of use, I can confidently say that I received’t be returning to Gemini anytime quickly.

As I discussed earlier, Gemini’s quite a few extensions imply that it might now management my sensible house and take notes. Nevertheless, it fails simply as miserably at answering questions because the outgoing Google Assistant. My predominant gripe with Gemini stems from how a lot it depends on the underlying massive language mannequin (and its private information) to reply my queries as an alternative of utilizing its built-in search engine.

Working example, I routinely ask Gemini for inventory costs and get variable outcomes that frustrate me to no finish. A immediate like “How is Apple’s inventory worth doing?” as soon as yielded a imprecise response in regards to the firm’s monetary efficiency over the previous few months, however crucially, didn’t ship a worth quote in any respect.

It wasn’t till I particularly requested “What’s Apple’s inventory worth?” that Gemini lastly gave me a definitive reply. And even then, it linked me to a few different web sites and lectured me on the volatility of inventory costs.

Perplexity, in the meantime, responds to such queries with a wealthy info field that even comprises an interactive chart. Have a look for your self.

This isn’t a one-off, I’ve run into the identical drawback when making an attempt to transform currencies on a number of events. Ask Gemini how a lot 100 USD is in Euros, and also you’re extra prone to get a disclaimer about change fee fluctuations than an precise quantity. If the celebrities align, you would possibly get a solution but it surely would possibly simply be sooner to make use of Google Search as an alternative.

Perplexity, then again, does precisely what I need from an assistant: it pulls real-time change charges from a number of sources and clearly presents them, albeit with out the gorgeous charts this time. Extra importantly, although, it performs this job persistently each single time.

Subsequent, I requested each assistants, “The place can I watch the re-release of Interstellar this weekend?” Right here, Gemini did precisely what I’d count on the decade-old Google Assistant to do: it flat out refused to search for a solution. It’s fairly an embarrassing outcome, to say the least.

In the meantime, Perplexity carried out a fast search and analyzed eight sources to supply a launch date and suggestions on easy methods to e-book tickets. From right here, I merely used Google’s Circle to Search and navigated to one of many reserving web sites myself. Is Perplexity’s response excellent? In no way, but it surely’s an enormous step up over Gemini.

Whereas most competing digital assistants on Android cease at answering questions, that’s not the case with Perplexity. Like Gemini, you possibly can ask it to carry out a handful of phone-related duties like ship a textual content message or e-mail, name a contact, and open an app. It may well additionally play music through Spotify and set reminders.

Impressively, Perplexity can perceive imprecise directions like “Remind me to observe the following season of The White Lotus when it releases.” Right here, you’d count on the assistant to search for the present’s launch date first and set a reminder accordingly and that’s precisely what Perplexity does.

Once I tried the identical immediate with Gemini, I used to be horrified to search out that it merely arrange a job with your complete textual content as an alternative of following the directions on the finish. That is the sort of inconsistency that makes Google’s AI expertise so irritating to reside with and doubtlessly harmful for those who depend on it for something necessary.

Perplexity may carry out a number of duties directly, much like Gemini’s multi-extension performance that Samsung showcased on the current Galaxy S25 launch occasion. For instance, it might discover close by Thai eating places and set a reminder to e-book a desk at one later.

On that word, Perplexity has a few cool tips up its sleeve. For one, you possibly can ask it to e-book a desk and it’ll convey you to the restaurant’s OpenTable web page to arrange a reservation. Likewise, you possibly can e-book an Uber trip utilizing simply your voice — I examined it with the immediate “Get me a trip to the airport” and it labored as anticipated. Perplexity has a surprisingly good deal with at localized strategies too. It managed to present me instructions to the closest espresso store (a non-chain location at that) and reserving a cab to the spot was simply one other voice command away.

Lastly, Perplexity may learn the contents of your display when required. This implies you possibly can instruct it to do issues like summarize the contents of your display after which ship the outcome as an e-mail to a pal. Or as I have a tendency to make use of it probably the most, translate a international language. Gemini has supplied this function for some time now, so I’m glad I didn’t lose it once I switched to Perplexity Assistant.

Perplexity might have the higher hand in some areas, but it surely’s not precisely equal to Gemini but both. In contrast to Perplexity, Google’s assistant can learn your emails, entry recordsdata from Drive, and combine extra seamlessly with companies like Duties and Assistant Routines. The closest Perplexity can get to studying your inbox is summarizing your notifications, which is useful however nowhere close to as highly effective.

One other key distinction is the way you invoke every assistant. Gemini helps a wake phrase for hands-free activation, whereas Perplexity requires holding down the ability button or utilizing a diagonal swipe gesture. I personally don’t thoughts this since I’m often holding my cellphone once I want help, but it surely’s a notable limitation nonetheless. Perplexity additionally lacks any sensible house controls for the time being — although which may not be a dealbreaker for those who already personal sensible audio system.

The one lacking piece that is likely to be more durable to disregard is calendar integration. As of now, Perplexity can’t hyperlink to a calendar, that means you possibly can’t verify or add occasions. That is an simply solved drawback over time, although, as loads of different apps help you hyperlink your Google account for calendar and Drive entry.

With these downsides then, must you change to Perplexity? It comes all the way down to what you want out of your cellphone’s digital assistant. In case your precedence is getting solutions to questions reliably, regardless of how vaguely worded, Perplexity is the superior selection surely. However for those who want your assistant to interface immediately along with your digital life, Gemini holds the sting in the interim.

For now, I’ve made my change, and I don’t remorse it. Gemini may appreciably enhance sooner or later, however Perplexity does the whole lot I would like after which some. Greater than something, I’m simply glad there’s actual competitors on this area. In spite of everything, it was just a few years in the past that the stagnating Google Assistant was the one viable possibility.