Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 update is expected to bring a range of AI-powered features to iPhones, but not all devices will be equal. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, many of these features will require an iPhone 15 Pro or later to work, leaving older models in the dust.
The reason for this restriction is likely the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro, which offers significant performance boosts over the A16 Bionic in the standard iPhone 15. The A18 Pro chipset in the rumored iPhone 16 series will also come with an upgraded neural processing unit (NPU), further enhancing AI capabilities.
Gurman predicts that Apple is betting on these new AI features to encourage users to upgrade their devices, particularly iPhone owners. While Macs and iPads will also require at least an M1 chip to run on-device AI features, the upgrade urgency may be lower for these devices.
Apple has a history of restricting certain features to newer iPhone models, and iOS 18 may take this trend to the next level. However, it’s worth noting that off-device AI features, such as the ChatGPT app, will still be available on older iPhones running iOS 16.1 or later.
The rumored AI features in iOS 18, such as a smarter Siri and AI photo editing, may not be powerful enough to leave older iPhones behind just yet. But with Apple’s rumored deal with OpenAI and the expected integration of ChatGPT into iOS 18, the company is likely to start phasing in on-device AI requirements with this update.
