Smartphone marketing promotes massive RAM for on-device AI, but mobile hardware limits complex reasoning.

Operating systems transparently route advanced workflows to remote cloud servers.

Advertisements often make it seem like new phones are autonomous supercomputers. But neither Apple nor Google has promised that AI functions will run entirely on the device, with no internet connection at all. The small programs built into phones are useful tools, but they lack the capabilities needed for complex thinking.

How complex requests work

When we ask our mobile phone to perform more complex actions, such as reading data from different sources, searching for locations, or booking appointments with third-party services, the device encounters serious obstacles.…