Whether or not you’re planning to pre-order the new iPhone 16, you could still be in line for an exciting free software upgrade for your current phone. Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 18, will launch Monday 16 September alongside the new iPhone 16, giving your device a new lease of life, but older iPhones won’t get the upgrade. So where’s the cutoff? Is your iPhone compatible with the new iOS 18 operating system?
Apple fully unveiled iOS 18 at the iPhone 16 reveal event on 9 September. The new operating system adds a raft of new features, most notably Apple Intelligence, the tech brand’s take on generative AI. On iPhone that means Siri gets smarter. The virtual assistant can understand you better and give more personalised, useful and human-like responses by pulling in your vital information from across apps. Siri can also hand your question over to ChatGPT for any queries it can’t handle on the device.
Apple Intelligence also enables new features, such as Image Playground, which lets you create pictures from text prompts, and Genmoji, which lets you create entirely new custom emojis simply by describing what you want or plugging in photos of your friends.
Every phone with an A12 Bionic chip or later will get iOS 18, but only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and the full iPhone 16 range will be able to access the new AI features. You’ll need to be in the US too – current regulations around the use of AI imagery mean that the UK and Europe will have to wait until December to get the full Apple Intelligence experience.
But there’s more to iOS 18 than fancy new generative AI tricks. The update also makes the home screen more customisable, adds RCS messaging support, new messaging and scheduling features and includes a dedicated password manager app, plus lots more. So, which devices will be able to upgrade to iOS 18, and which devices will get Apple Intelligence?
Apple iOS 18-supported devices
To get the iOS 18 update, you need to have an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or later. That’s because the A12 has what Apple calls a neural engine. Any iPhone without this chip or better would be too slow to run the new operating system efficiently.
The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR are the oldest iPhones that support iOS 18. Here’s the list of compatible iPhones in full:
- iPhone SE, 2nd gen: From £379, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone XS, XS Max and XR: From £159.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 11 series: From £239.99 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 12 series: From £280 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 13 series: From £499, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 14 series: From £599, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 15 series: From £681, Amazon.co.uk
- iPhone 16 series: From £799, Apple.com
Apple Intelligence-supported devices
Here’s where things get more complicated. While the iPhones we’ve just mentioned can all run iOS 18, only the very latest iPhones can access the new Apple Intelligence features found on iOS 18.
This is because Apple Intelligence runs mostly on-device, and your iPhone will need a lot of specialised processing power to use it. That means you’ll need a Mac or iPad with an M1 chip or later. The pool of iPhones that support Apple Intelligence is even smaller.
You’ll need an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or better. Besides the newly announced iPhone 16 range, which uses the new A18 chip, the only iPhones with Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The base iPhone 15 won’t get Apple Intelligence, because it uses the older A16 chipset.
Here’s the full list of iPhone and Apple devices compatible with Apple Intelligence:
iPhones
iPads
- iPad Pro (M1 and later): From £530 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- iPad Air (M1 and later): From £436.60 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
Macs
- iMac (M1 and later): From £749 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- Mac mini (M1 and later): From £420 (refurbished), Amazon.co.uk
- Mac Studio (M1 and later): From £2,099, Apple.com
- Mac Pro M2 Ultra: From £7,199, Apple.com
Best iPhone 16 deals
Pre-orders for the new iPhone 16 range will open on Friday 13 September. You can buy the new phone directly from Apple with zero per cent finance, spreading the cost over 24 months with no interest to pay. Register now and you can pick your preferred colourway and storage options in advance.
The base iPhone 16 costs £799, or £33.29 per month, while the top-end iPhone 16 Pro Max costs £1,199, or £49.95 per month. Pair your new iPhone with a SIM-only deal from one of these carriers to get the best value deal on the new iPhone 16.
If you’re mid-contract or an existing customer looking to upgrade, it’s always worth checking out your current provider’s deals on the new iPhone 16. The four big networks, Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three are all primed to launch their iPhone 16 deals on Friday 13 September. The major carriers offer all kinds of bundle deals, like free Disney+ subscriptions, so they can work out cheaper than a SIM-only plan if you know you’ll make use of the extras.
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