close
close

Forget the New iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Had a Much Better One

Forget the New iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Had a Much Better One

The iPhone 16 Pro may have been “designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence,” but iPhone 16 family not the only iPhone option For iOS’s new generative AI features.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will run Apple Intelligence. Rather than paying a premium for new flagships in the hope that the AI ​​software will deliver on Apple’s promises, the 15 Pro models generally offer the same experience as the 16 Pro models. Because they’re a generation behind, consumers could expect them to see a discount and become the “affordable Pro” model for those who want AI in their iPhones.

Instead, Apple canceled the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.

IMAGE

It’s worth noting that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the only iPhones that run this app. A17 Pro chipset. Companion iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, A16 chipset. iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Plus stay in range; They all use this A15 chipset.

The last iPhone currently available is the third-generation iPhone SE, which runs the A15 chipset. But there are strong indications that Apple will. Refreshing iPhone SE in March 2025This means the current SE must be out of stock.

Cancellation of A17 iPhones It won’t rid Apple entirely of the chipset; spare parts will be needed for many years, but support life would have been included in the production and design roadmap. If we leave the support issue aside and focus on the new iPhones Apple sells, it has reduced the complexity of the chipset by twenty-five percent. Depending on the fourth generation features of the iPhone SE, this value may have decreased by almost forty percent.

I’m sure managing the supply chain this way played a part in this decision, but I also think there’s a psychological reason for siding with what’s practical.

The rise of generative AI has seen various AI-powered features become major selling points of smartphones, selling points that Apple has not been able to take full advantage of. Eight months after Google launched the AI-focused Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Apple introduced the oddly named Apple Intelligence at its Worldwide Developer Conference. Next month consumers will experience the first small portion of this, but the full suite won’t be available until March 2025, about seventeen months after Android.

If you want to take part in the rise of generative AI and experience the progressive rollout of Apple Intelligence in a new iPhone, you have no choice but to buy one of the iPhone 16 family.

We face steady growth in iPhone sales last few yearsApple is seizing the opportunity presented by generative AI to force those who want to use the new technology into an update cycle. Naturally, Apple Intelligence will work on the entire iPhone 16 family. While older phones will be supported, only phones running the A17 chipset will get the supported productive AI software.

And two phones equipped with the A17 chipset were also canceled recently.

While this won’t affect those who already own one of the two phones, those looking to upgrade and get Apple Intelligence have lost out on arguably the best value-for-money option for those who need to upgrade but want to wait and see if Apple Intelligence pays off. It’s worth the extra investment for a new iPhone.

They might find an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max on end-of-line sale at a network or specialist store, but this option won’t be available for long. If you want Apple Intelligence, you have no choice but to go for the newest and most expensive iPhones on the market.

Now read the latest iPhone, iOS and Apple Music headlines in Forbes’ weekly Apple news roundup…