Unless you own an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you’ll miss out on some of the best features of iOS 18.
Key Takeaways
- Only iPhone 15 Pro & Pro Max will support Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.
- Lack of RAM in other models is probably why most current iPhones can't run Apple Intelligence.
- Macs and iPads with M1 chip or higher will be able to run Apple Intelligence.
Your iPhone may only be a few months old, but it may soon be obsolete. At WWDC 24, Apple announced that it was finally catching up with the rest of the world and getting on board the AI bandwagon. It introduced Apple Intelligence, a collection of AI features that can do everything from making Siri finally useful again, to letting you create your own custom emojis.
If you're excited about trying out Apple Intelligence on your current iPhone, however, then you may be in for a big disappointment. That's because out of the 42 models of iPhone that have launched to date, only two of them will support the new Apple Intelligence features. Read on to learn if your iPhone makes the cut.
Will my current iPhone support Apple Intelligence?
For most of us, the answer is probably not
For the vast majority of people, your current iPhone isn't going to be able to run Apple Intelligence. The only phones that are capable of running the new Apple Intelligence features are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It means that even if you own two of the very latest models of iPhone, the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus, you won't be able to use Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.
The only phones that are capable of running the new Apple Intelligence features are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
If you own an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max that you thought might futureproof you against later iOS updates, you're bang out of luck, too. Even these flagship releases from 2022 aren't powerful enough to run Apple Intelligence.
Why can't my iPhone run Apple Intelligence?
It may be down to a lack of RAM
Apple hasn't stated explicitly why most current iPhones are unable to run Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the only iPhone models to use the A17 Pro chip, with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus using the same A16 Bionic chip that's found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Apple Intelligence will be available in beta this fall in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia
However, the A16 chip has a 16-core neural engine, the same as the M1 chip found in Macs that are able to support Apple Intelligence. It appears that the key differentiator is the amount of RAM available. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the only current iPhones with 8GB of RAM, and all other Apple devices that can run Apple Intelligence have 8GB of RAM or more.
This is bad news if you own an iPhone 15, but good news if you're planning to buy an iPhone 16, as it means even the base models will almost certainly include at least 8GB of RAM.
What devices can run Apple Intelligence?
You'll need a newish iPhone, iPod, or Mac
Aside from iPhones, there's a fairly simple way to know if your device will be able to run Apple Intelligence. As long as your iPod or Mac has an M1 chip or higher, then you'll be able to use the Apple Intelligence features.
The full list of devices that will be able to run Apple Intelligence is as follows:
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPad Pro (M1 and later)
- iPad Air (M1 and later)
- 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)
