Apple’s Most Powerful On-Device AI Model Requires iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air or Newer Macs, iPads

Apple has confirmed that not all devices that currently support Apple Intelligence will be able to run the most advanced AI model.

The company unveiled a number of new AI features at its Worldwide Conference (WWDC) on Monday, including Siri AI that will come with iOS 2026 and other software updates. In addition to these announcements, Apple also announced the hardware requirements of the new generation on-device artificial intelligence model.

The technology giant said that the advanced artificial intelligence model can be used on iPhones such as iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air. In the case of the iPad, users will need an M4-supported or newer device with at least 12GB of memory. Mac users will need at least 12GB of RAM as well as a Mac with an M3 or newer chip.

The requirements are higher than the current version of Apple Intelligence, which runs on devices with 8 GB of memory. According to Apple, the extra memory is needed to meet the increasing demands of the more powerful AI model directly on the device.

One notable omission is the standard iPhone 17. Although the phone supports Apple Intelligence, it doesn’t have enough memory to run Apple’s most powerful upcoming on-device AI model.

Users with older or unsupported iPhones, iPads, and Macs will continue to have access to many of the same AI features. However, these tasks will be processed through Apple’s Private Cloud Computing rather than running entirely on the device. As a result, the response will be slower compared to on-device versions.