In what could be argued as an unsurprising turn of events, Apple is finding itself on the backfoot with AI developments this year, choosing to take its time and roll out features as they get polished and refined. While the company first unveiled its advances during WWDC, in June, it took to its recent ‘It’s Glowtime’ product launch to truly highlight how Apple Intelligence will significantly upgrade the iPhone experience.

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There’s a catch: the new experiences will require iOS 18, which will launch on September 16, and one of the more recent iPhone models. That means that even if you update to iOS 18 on an older model, if you want to experience Apple Intelligence when it’s released, you’ll need to consider upgrading your iPhone to one of the models listed below. The good news is that preorders for Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup have already begun, and there are plenty of deals you can take advantage of.

What new AI features come with iOS 18?

iOS 18 isn’t expected to launch with Apple’s full loadout of Apple Intelligence features, but later versions should boast many new AI tools, including:

• Improved Siri
• New summarization tools for email, Keynotes, third-party apps, and more
• Writing tools (including rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text features) 
• Apple Image Playground
• Genmoji
• Priority notifications
• AI-generated photo memory movies
• Search in videos
• AI-powered photo editing
• Image Wand in the Notes app

In addition to these AI features, iOS 18 will offer an improved Control Center, new privacy options such as locking or hiding apps, scheduling messages, new Messages via Satellite, the ability to tap phones together to exchange Apple Cash, and more. 

Which iPhone models support these new AI features?

You’ll need at least an iPhone 15 Pro (or a newer model) to use these features.

Requiring Apple’s latest hardware to experience these new features may seem like planned obsolescence or a money grab, and it’s probably a bit of both. But there’s also the hardware aspect, with Apple claiming that the provision is due to the processing hardware (such as RAM and memory) needed to support its new AI features — especially for tasks that require on-device processing.

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Processing AI tasks on-device offers two key benefits: It keeps information more secure and ensures less latency. Apple claims that not all iPhones, especially older models, have the processing power to handle those tasks. The new AI features will rely on both cloud-based and on-device processing, depending on the complexity of the task.

Specifically, Apple says these tasks require at least Apple’s A17 Pro chip, currently found only in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. That means the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, while released simultaneously as the Pro models, won’t support the AI upgrades, as those phones only have Apple’s A16 Bionic SoC. The iPhone 16 lineup features A18 and A18 Pro chips, making them the best suited for the full AI experience. 

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If you don’t own the iPhone 15 Pro and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, don’t worry; you may still get to experience some Apple Intelligence features, specifically those that run via the cloud. If you want the full experience, however, you may want to start preparing to purchase a new iPhone.

Which Mac and iPad models support Apple Intelligence?

The good news is that if you are a Mac or iPad user, you won’t need the newest model. To use the AI features on a Mac or iPad, your device will need at least an M1 chip; considering Apple is currently manufacturing M4 iPads and M3 Macs, many users with older devices should have some wiggle room to test-drive the latest AI features..