With WWDC 2024 concluding on June 10, Apple has finally announced its much-anticipated iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, featuring Apple Intelligence – its new AI. Unlike Samsung, which offered Galaxy AI features to older devices, Apple is taking a different approach, limiting Apple Intelligence to newer models. Your iPhone might not get these new AI features. Here’s the list of Apple devices that will support Apple Intelligence.
Devices That Support Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is coming to all popular Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple has already released the developer betas for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. The developers will get to try them first and the public beta is set to arrive in July before the official rollout in September. However, AI features will arrive later this year and are not yet available in the betas.
Importantly, not all devices can run the Apple Intelligence featuers. According to Apple, only the devices with the powerful A17 Pro chipset and Apple silicon (M-series) chips will support Apple Intelligence. Here are all the Apple devices that will support Apple Intelligence features later this year:
iPhone
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPad (Any Apple Silicon Model)
- iPad Air (M1 and later)
- iPad Pro (M1 and later)
Mac (Any Apple Silicon Model)
- MacBook Air (M1 and later)
- MacBook Pro (M1 and later)
- iMac (M1 and later)
- Mac Mini (M1 and later)
- Mac Studio (M1 Max and later)
- Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)
The above devices have neural engine chip as part of the processor stack and the computational power required for on-device Apple Intelligence processing.
Most iPhones Won’t Be Getting Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence features require significant processing power, which older devices lack. Many iPhones, including the iPhone 15/15 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and older models, won’t be able to run them. Also, iPads equipped with A-series chips and older Intel-based Macs and MacBooks will also miss out on Apple Intelligence features.
This can be frustrating, especially if you’ve recently bought an iPhone 15 or 14 series device.
Even on newer devices equipped to handle Apple Intelligence, tasks requiring greater computational power will be offloaded to Apple’s servers, ensuring a smooth experience.
Is Apple Intelligence Free or Paid
One of the biggest questions about Apple Intelligence is whether it’s free or not. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy AI, which is reportedly free only until the end of 2025, Apple Intelligence is completely free for all supported iPhones, iPads, and Mac models. There are no subscription fees or hidden costs.
However, Apple Intelligence will initially be available only in U.S. English. This means you’ll need to set your Siri and device language to U.S. English to access the AI features. Apple stated that some features, software platforms, and additional languages will be added over the course of the next year.
So, while Apple Intelligence is free, it has language limitations. Keep an eye out for future updates that will bring more features and language support.
A Recap of Apple Intelligence Features
Apple Intelligence, seamlessly integrated into your device’s operating system, brings the following key features:
- Writing Tools: Rewrite, proofread, and summarize text across apps.
- Priority Messages: Identifies urgent emails in Mail using AI.
- Smart Reply: Suggests quick responses and identifies questions in emails.
- Notifications Summary: Summarizes long or stacked notifications on the lock screen.
- Reduce Interruptions Focus: Filters notifications to show only those needing immediate attention.
- Call Recording: You can record calls on your iPhone, albeit with a warning message.
- Audio Transcription: Records, transcribes, and summarizes audio in Notes and Phone.
- Image Playground: Creates fun images in seconds with different styles.
- Image Wand: Creates images in Notes using context from surrounding text or sketches.
- Genmoji: Creates personalized emojis based on descriptions or photos.
- Enhanced Siri: Improved language understanding, contextual awareness, and typing.
- Device Support: Siri can answer questions about how to use your Apple device.
- Onscreen Awareness: Siri can understand and act on content displayed on the screen.
- Siri Integration: Access ChatGPT’s knowledge and image-generation capabilities in Siri.
- Photos Clean Up Tool: Removes distracting objects from the background of photos.
- Memories: Create personalized movies using your photos and videos with AI-suggested music by simply typing a description.
- Math Notes: Type or write out mathematical expressions in the Calculator app on your iPad and see them instantly solved in your handwriting.
Should You Upgrade Your iPhone for Apple AI?
Apple has certainly packed a lot into this update. Siri’s new contextual awareness and features like “Show me the file Jessica mailed yesterday” are impressive, potentially surpassing Android’s AI implementation.
Only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will offer the full Apple AI experience, and even then, not until later this year. This coincides with the expected launch of the iPhone 16 lineup. So before you rush to buy a new iPhone, consider waiting for the iPhone 16 launch to see Apple Intelligence in action.
This will give you a better idea of whether Apple Intelligence is worth the investment and if you should opt for the latest iPhone, which will likely run Apple AI out of the box. So, will you be upgrading your iPhone just for Apple Intelligence? Let me know via comments or tweet your voice on X.
