This looks to be the year of AI on iPhones, as it has widely been rumored that iOS 18 will include numerous new AI features, while the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro might have some exclusive AI skills. Of course, Siri is likely to be at the heart of any big AI push, and to help make the most of that, Apple will reportedly put better microphones in the iPhone 16 line than its current phones.
This is according to Jeff Pu, an analyst at Haitong International Securities (via MacRumors) known for often accurate Apple leaks and predictions.
Apparently the upgraded microphones in the iPhone 16 line will offer a higher signal-to-noise ratio than the microphones in the iPhone 15 series, allowing them to hear your voice more clearly, which in turn should improve Siri’s ability to understand you and provide accurate responses.
If Siri is overhauled with AI upgrades this year then it’s likely people will be using it far more, so it makes sense to improve the way we interact with Siri too.
A claim we've heard before
This also isn’t the first time we’ve heard this claim of upgraded microphones, as analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote much the same on his Medium page late last year.
Kuo clarified that all four iPhone 16 models (meaning the iPhone 16 itself, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max) will apparently have upgraded microphones, and additionally claimed that these microphones will have better water resistance than the current ones.
Presumably these upgrades would also be beneficial when speaking on the phone, but both sources say it’s due to AI upgrades to Siri that they’re being included. So you might well need a phone in the iPhone 16 line to get the best or complete iPhone AI experience, even if some of the AI features come as part of iOS 18.
In any case, we’d take these claims with a pinch of salt for now, but the sources are credible and it’s an upgrade that would make sense. We should find out exactly how good the iPhone 16’s microphones are when it launches, which will likely happen in September.
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