iOS 18 update: Every iPhone model that will support Apple's new AI features (for now)

After two years of silence and delays about Apple’s AI developments, the company finally shared its latest projects with the public at its annual developer conference, WWDC, in June. At its ‘Glowtime’ product launch event this week, Apple continued highlighting how Apple Intelligence will significantly upgrade the device experience — but only if you have one of the newest iPhone models.

Also: Apple delivers on hardware upgrades but punts Apple Intelligence rollout

The new experiences will require iOS 18, which will launch on September 16. If you want to experience Apple Intelligence when it’s released, consider upgrading your iPhone to one of the models listed below soon. If you don’t want to wait a week, you can also start testing some AI features through Apple’s iOS 18 developer beta. 

What new AI features come with iOS 18?

iOS 18 probably won’t launch with Apple Intelligence, but later versions of iOS 18 should boast many new AI features, 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 an iPhone 15 Pro (or a newer model coming out this year) 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 both. Nevertheless, Apple claims the provision is due to the processing hardware needed to support its new AI features — especially for tasks that require on-device processing.

Also: The 5 best iPhone 16 Pro features that enthusiasts will care about

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 Apple’s A17 Pro SoC, currently found only in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Even the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus 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. 

Also: I went hands-on with Apple’s standard iPhone 16 and didn’t envy the Pro models at all

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 in the cloud. If you want the full experience, however, you may want to start preparing to make a new iPhone purchase.

Which Mac and iPad models support Apple Intelligence?

The good news is that you won’t need the newest model if you are a Mac or iPad user. 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-chip iPads and M3-chip Macs, many users with older devices should have some wiggle room.