Forget the new iPhone 16 Pro, Apple had something much better

The iPhone 16 Pro may be “built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence,” but the iPhone 16 family isn’t the only iPhone option for iOS’s new generative AI features.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max run on Apple Intelligence. Rather than paying a premium for the new flagships in the hope that the AI ​​software will deliver on Apple’s promises, the 15 Pro models offer broadly the same experience as the 16 Pro models. Being one generation behind, consumers could have expected to see a discount and become the ‘affordable Pro’ model for those who want AI on their iPhone.

Instead, Apple canceled the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.

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It’s worth noting that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the only iPhones to use the A17 Pro chipset. The corresponding iPhone 15 and 15 Plus use the A16 chipset. The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Plus remain in the range; these all use the A15 chipset.

The last iPhone still available is the third-generation iPhone SE, with the A15 chipset. However, there are strong indications that Apple will renew the iPhone SE in March 2025, which will mean that stock on the current SE will have to be reduced.

Canceling the A17 iPhones won’t completely rid Apple of the chipset; spare parts will be needed for many years to come, although the life of support would be factored into the production and design roadmap. If we put the support issue aside and focus on the new iPhones that Apple is selling, it has reduced the complexity of its chipset by twenty-five percent. Depending on the specifications of the fourth generation of the iPhone SE, this percentage could be reduced by almost forty percent.

I am convinced that managing the supply chain in this way played a part in the decision, but I would suggest that there is a psychological reason for overlooking the practical side.

With the rise of generative AI, the various AI-driven features have become major selling points for smartphones, selling points that Apple has not been able to fully capitalize on. Eight months after Google launched the AI-focused Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Apple presented the awkwardly named Apple Intelligence at its Worldwide Developer Conference. Consumers will experience the first small part of this next month, although the full package will not be available until March 2025, about seventeen months after Android.

And if you want to join the rise of generative AI on a new iPhone and experience the phased rollout of Apple Intelligence, you have no choice but to purchase an iPhone 16 family.

Faced with flat growth in iPhone sales over the past few years, Apple is seizing the opportunity presented by generative AI to force an update cycle on those who want to use the new technology. Naturally, Apple Intelligence will run on the entire iPhone 16 family. Although it will be backported to older handsets, only handsets with the A17 chipset will receive the backported generative AI software.

And the two handsets that were equipped with the A17 chipset have just been canceled.

While that won’t affect those who already own one of the handsets, those who want to upgrade and get Apple Intelligence have just lost out on perhaps the best value for money available for those who need to upgrade but want to wait and see if Apple Intelligence is worth the extra investment of a new iPhone.

They may be able to find an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max on a final sale at a network or specialty retailer, but that option won’t be available for long. If you want Apple Intelligence, you have no choice but to go for the latest and most expensive iPhones on the market.

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