Apple announced a stack of new Apple Intelligence features at WWDC 2026, Siri upgrades included. But the headline capability — the most powerful on-device AI model Apple has built — comes with a hardware cutoff that rules out more devices than you might expect.
The requirement is 12GB of unified memory. Apple confirmed this in a press release, and it’s a hard line. The model powers things like more expressive Siri voices and enhanced dictation, features that sound minor until you realize the standard iPhone 17 doesn’t qualify.
That’s the 8GB model. It’s out. The iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air all hit the 12GB mark and get the full feature set. Everyone else on the iPhone 17 standard is looking at a stripped-down experience, regardless of which iOS version they’re running.
iPad support requires an M4 chip or newer with at least 12GB of memory. Macs need M3 or later, same RAM floor. Apple Vision Pro makes the cut with the M5. The features roll out through iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate, all arriving later this year.
Worth knowing before you assume your device is covered — chip generation alone doesn’t guarantee access. The memory threshold is what actually determines it.
