At its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple announced the latest version of iOS, iOS 26. As expected, the new version of iOS brings new features, including new Apple Intelligence functionality.

But what it didn’t announce is bringing Apple Intelligence to more iPhones and iPads. Despite having a full year to expand support, Apple is still offering AI features on a tiny fraction of its devices.

Even the list of supported devices is as discriminatory as it gets. While it supports all iPhone 16 models, you need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to use Apple Intelligence.

Compared to Galaxy AI, this is downright embarrassing. Galaxy AI debuted on the Galaxy S24 series in early 2024, and right off the bat, Samsung brought almost the entire suite of Galaxy AI features to all flagship phones from the previous two years.

According to Apple, the chipsets on older iPhones aren't strong enough to support Apple Intelligence features. But that just sounds like an excuse to push sales of newer iPhones. At the very least, Apple could have brought some features to older devices. We’re pretty sure not every Apple Intelligence feature requires the latest and greatest hardware to run well.

After all, a lot of Apple Intelligence features are like what Samsung offers with Galaxy AI. And if a Galaxy S22 can handle tricks like live call translation, generative image editing, and content summarization, we imagine an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max can do it as well.

It’s possible that Apple is restricting Apple Intelligence availability because pre-iPhone 15 models didn't have enough RAM. It was only with the iPhone 15 lineup that Apple finally started offering 8GB of RAM as standard, at least on the Pro and Pro Max models.

If this reason is accurate, it vindicates those who have always criticized Apple for equipping iPhones with lower RAM compared to Android devices and have been met with responses from Apple fans such as “iOS is more optimized and it doesn’t need as much RAM” for so many years.

If you’re eager to join the AI revolution, now's the perfect time to consider switching to a Galaxy flagship. And if you’re curious how Samsung’s Galaxy AI stacks up against Apple Intelligence, don’t miss our in-depth Galaxy AI vs Apple Intelligence series.