Apple's iOS 18 is bringing numerous advanced AI features, but not all iPhones will be able to use them. These AI features need a lot of computing power, which can be a problem for older iPhone models, even if they can run iOS 18.
Powerful Hardware
The AI features in iOS 18 are split into two groups: basic features that can run directly on the device and advanced ones that need to talk to Apple's servers.
For example, the new Siri will need a lot of processing power. Using language models, Siri will be able to do complex tasks like opening specific documents, organizing notes, deleting emails, and more.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, many of these AI features will need an iPhone 15 Pro or later to work properly.
While iOS 18 will work on several older iPhone models, these devices won't be able to run AI processes locally because they don't have enough computing power.
Which iPhones Are Affected?
Here are the iPhone models that will likely get iOS 18 but might not support all the new AI features:
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPhone SE (3rd generation)
The AI features in iOS 18 need a lot of processing power. Apple has built Neural Processing Units (NPUs) into their chips to handle these tasks, but older models might still struggle.
To get the full iOS 18 AI experience, you'll need a newer iPhone model.
