During the iOS 27 unveiling, Apple left many users with an important question. The company revealed that not every device that supports Apple Intelligence will receive the same version of the new Siri.
The detail was mentioned only briefly during the presentation, but it immediately raised questions. What features will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16? Will the most advanced capabilities be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro lineup and the new iPhone Air? Will users need to upgrade their devices to experience Apple’s next generation of AI?
Now that Apple has provided more information about Siri AI’s hardware requirements, we have a much clearer picture of what each supported device will be able to do.
The new Siri is coming to all Apple Intelligence devices
The good news is that every device that currently supports Apple Intelligence will receive the new Siri.
That includes:
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 Pro
- iPhone 17 Pro Max
- iPhone Air
Users on these devices will gain access to the core Siri AI features Apple demonstrated, including personal context awareness, screen understanding, and the ability to perform more advanced actions across apps.
Some features require more memory
The differences begin to appear with Siri’s most advanced capabilities.
According to Apple, certain features rely on larger and more sophisticated AI models that require at least 12GB of RAM to run locally on the device.
These features include:
➜ A more natural Siri voice
Apple has developed a new generation of voice synthesis powered by larger AI models that can produce speech with more natural inflection and conversational flow.
This enhanced voice experience requires at least 12GB of RAM and will not be available on every Apple Intelligence-compatible device.
➜ Smarter dictation
The upgraded dictation system also relies on larger language models.
Benefits include:
- Better contextual understanding.
- Fewer transcription errors.
- More accurate automatic punctuation.
- Improved handling of longer spoken passages.
➜ Less reliance on the cloud
This may be the most important distinction.
Devices equipped with 12GB of RAM or more can process a larger portion of Siri’s AI tasks directly on the device.
That means:
- Faster responses.
- Reduced dependence on cloud processing.
- More consistent performance when internet connections are slow.
- Greater privacy because more data remains on the device.
In other words, while every compatible iPhone gets the new Siri, not every iPhone gets the exact same Siri experience.
Which devices get the complete Siri AI experience?
Based on Apple’s published requirements, the most advanced Siri AI features will be available on:
- iPhone 17 Pro
- iPhone 17 Pro Max
- iPhone Air
- iPad Air with M4
- iPad Pro M4 models with 1TB or 2TB of storage
- iPad Pro M5
- Macs with an M3 chip or later and more than 12GB of memory
These devices have enough memory and processing power to run larger AI models locally.
RAM is becoming increasingly important
For years, RAM capacity was rarely discussed among iPhone buyers.
The arrival of Apple Intelligence has started to change that.
The new Siri requirements demonstrate that available memory now directly influences which AI features a device can support.
In practice, Apple’s ecosystem is entering a new era where compatibility alone is no longer the only question.
Users will increasingly need to consider how much AI their device can run, not simply whether it supports AI at all.
A new divide in the iPhone lineup
Until recently, the main distinction was between devices that supported Apple Intelligence and those that did not.
With iOS 27, a new tier is emerging.
All of the devices listed above will receive the new Siri, but only those with more powerful hardware will unlock the platform’s most advanced AI capabilities.
That makes RAM one of the most important specifications shaping the future AI experience across Apple’s products.
And all signs suggest that this gap could become even more noticeable as Siri AI continues to evolve in future releases.
