Skip to main content

Here’s every iPhone and iPad that supports Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.
This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote was one of the biggest ones that the company had made in years. During this keynote, the company showed us what we’d be getting in iOS 18, which includes some big user-requested features like more home screen customization, RCS messaging support, and more. But that’s not all — this is the first iOS that brings AI into the iPhone with Apple Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence, as Apple calls it, is a powerful suite of AI tools that will help make your life even easier. From new writing tools and summarization features to image generation and the ability to create unique emojis, Apple Intelligence definitely looks impressive.

Recommended Videos

But will your current iPhone be able to run Apple Intelligence now that it has launched in the iOS 18.1 update? Unfortunately, it might not.

iPhones that will get Apple Intelligence

iPhone 16 Pro Max next to the 16 Plus, 16 Pro and regular iPhone 16
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Only the iPhone 16 generation and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can support Apple Intelligence. As of this writing, this is the full list of supported iPhones:

Unfortunately, last gen’s iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus won’t be able to run Apple Intelligence. You need at least one of the iPhone 15 Pro models or newer in order to use Apple Intelligence.

iPhones that will not get Apple Intelligence

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 14 Plus camera modules.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus (left) and iPhone 14 Plus Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Naturally, that means there are a lot of iPhones that won’t be getting Apple Intelligence. The below list includes all of the phones getting the iOS 18 update this fall, but that will not get the new Apple Intelligence features:

  • iPhone 15 Plus
  • iPhone 15
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 14 Pro
  • iPhone 14 Plus
  • iPhone 14
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone SE (2022)
  • iPhone SE (2020)

Even though all of these iPhones will be able to run iOS 18, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will get Apple Intelligence. So, if you are using an older iPhone, or even the base model iPhone 15, you’re going to be out of luck.

Even without Apple Intelligence, iOS 18 still has plenty of cool new features that older iPhones can enjoy. Some of these features include more home screen customization options, a revamped Control Center, the ability to swap out lock screen controls, a completely new Photos app, new text effects in iMessage, RCS support, and much more.

Why won’t my iPhone get the new AI features?

iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max close up of the cameras
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Apple hasn’t explicitly said why older iPhone models won’t be getting Apple Intelligence. However, we can make some educated guesses based on what we do know already about AI in general.

AI systems like Apple Intelligence need a lot of processing power to run. On the iPhone’s side, this means it needs the latest chips and enough RAM to process all of those tasks since many of them happen locally on-device.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus use the A18 chip, and the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max use the A18 Pro. The A18 and A17 Pro have the same number of cores, and the A18 Pro upgrades its GPU with an additional core. So it makes sense that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which use the A17, are the only iPhones from the past generation with enough processing power to handle Apple Intelligence. It’s likely because of the A18 Pro, A18, and A17 Pro chips inside and the 8GB RAM that these newer models have.

Older iPhones, like the iPhone 14 Pro Max and even the base model iPhone 15, only have 6GB RAM. So even though previous models have the 16-core Neural Engine with the A16 Bionic and earlier, Apple Intelligence still needs that extra processing power from chips like the A17 Pro and 8GB RAM to run.

iPads that will get Apple Intelligence

2024 iPad mini resting against a fish pool.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

Apple Intelligence is also available on the iPad, but only if you have an iPad with an M1 chip or later, or the A17 Pro. Here’s the full list of compatible iPad models:

iPads that will not get Apple Intelligence

The iPad (2022) in its yellow color.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Since the requirements for an iPad to run Apple Intelligence include an M-series chip or the A17 Pro in the newest iPad mini, that basically rules out the base model iPad, as well as any non-M series iPads. Basically, any iPad without those chips may get iPadOS 18, but won’t be able to run Apple Intelligence. Here’s a full list:

  • iPad (2022, 10th gen and earlier)
  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Gen 1–4)
  • 11-inch iPad Pro (Gen 1 and 2)
  • iPad Air (Gen 4 and earlier)
  • iPad mini (Gen 6 and earlier)

A lot of the iPad models that can get iPadOS 18 won’t be able to run Apple Intelligence. Why? Because it’s all about the processors, just like with the iPhones. With the M1 and later chips, they have a 16-core Neural Engine that can run AI tasks, since they can do 11 trillion operations a second.

And even though the 10th-gen iPad has a the A14 Bionic with 16-core Neural Engine, the A14 Bionic only has a 6-core CPU (two power and four efficiency cores) and a 4-core GPU. Basically, it lacks the power needed for the AI models, unfortunately.

Christine Romero-Chan
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…
Apple closes in on crucial foldable iPhone decision
A mockup with a foldable clamshell iPhone.

We’re a short time away from when Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone SE 4. Later in the year the iPhone 17 will debut, which should include an “iPhone Air” for the first time. News about perhaps a more significant new iPhone has now been leaked.

The company is close to selecting a key supplier for its next-generation foldable display technology, according to a source tied to Apple’s supply chain. This new display technology is expected to be incorporated into the company’s first foldable iPhone, which will be released in the coming years. This information comes from the Naver blog account “yeux1122” (via MacRumors).

Read more
iPhone SE 4: everything we know so far
The Apple iPhone SE (2022) and Apple iPhone SE (2020) together.

While the spotlight always seems to be on Apple’s mainline iPhones, the iPhone SE is a great pick for those who are on a budget. If you want an iPhone that doesn't break the bank, the SE is the way to go.

The original iPhone SE came out in 2016, and then Apple revamped it in 2020 and 2022 by giving it some more modern hardware. The iPhone SE tends to get updated every two or so years rather than annually like the traditional iPhone. This means that we should see a new iPhone SE 4 in 2025.

Read more
Microsoft is making a major change to using your iPhone in Windows
The Dell XPS 13 on a table with the Start Menu open.

In a recent Windows Insider Blog post, Microsoft announced it's adding the option for iPhone users to access their phones from the Start menu. Thanks to a special widget next to the Start menu, when you connect your phone, you can see data such as notifications, battery indicators, recent contacts, connection status, and more.

To enjoy this feature, you must use the recent Windows 11 preview build from the Dev and Beta channels, and you must be a Windows Insider. You must also update the Phone Link app to version 1.24121.30.0 or higher, have a Microsoft account, and have a PC that supports Bluetooth LE. Microsoft said it does not support PCs running Pro Education or Education SKUs. Even if this doesn't affect you, the update is rolling out in phases, so reaching your PC might take some time if you don't already have it.

Read more