Generative AI has been making its way into smartphones gradually. Google already did it with the Pixel 8 series, Samsung is about to do it with the Galaxy S24 series next year and Apple will also join the fray soon afterward.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is planning to add generative AI to the iPhone 16, which is expected to arrive in September 2024. Apparently, this is the reason why the Cupertino giant is taking its time developing iOS 18. These exclusive AI features will become key selling points for the iPhone 16 family.
Gurman does not go into details about Apple’s AI features, but we can expect them to rival Google and Samsung. The Korean phone maker just introduced Gauss AI for its smartphones which comes with text generation, image generation, and code assistance, so we can expect to see something similar with Apple’s AI if not more. It will most likely also include content translation and summarization.
Apple is expected to use its own LLM model to overhaul its virtual assistant Siri with AI features, which aligns with previous reports of Apple investing heavily into generative AI. Since these features are expected to be integrated into Siri, we can expect it to be capable of voice input by default.
Gurman says that, as per usual, the iPhone 16 is not expected to feature any notable hardware improvements and the company will focus on marketing its AI features instead. All four iPhones, including the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max will reportedly come with Apple’s A18 bionic chip.
Other than generative AI features, the A18 SoC may also bring gaming performance improvements, especially since Apple has recently started adding native support for AAA video games in its new iPhones. The iPhone 15 is able to run Resident Evil: Village and other modern console titles reasonably well.
Taking a page out of Sony Xperia phones, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max may also have a dedicated shutter button for the camera, which should make photography more convenient. Some reports also talk about design changes for the Dynamic Island and a 5x optical zoom camera on the iPhone 16 Pro.
