Siri is finally getting a real brain. Apple announced an upgraded Siri at WWDC 2026, and after years of promises, it actually seems useful.
We went hands-on with it. The new Siri handles complex queries, chains commands together, and understands context from your messages, notes, emails, and photos. Faster. Smarter. Actually helpful.
But not everyone gets it.
You need an Apple Intelligence-compatible device. That means iPhone 15 Pro or newer. All Apple silicon iPads and Macs are supported too. The 2024 iPad mini counts since it uses the same chip as the iPhone 15 Pro.
To check: open Settings and look for an “Apple Intelligence & Siri” section. If it’s there, you’re good.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The new Siri will launch as a beta this fall. You’ll probably need to opt in manually, just like the developer beta waitlist. But iOS 27 itself runs on phones as old as the iPhone 11, so compatibility isn’t the bottleneck — it’s the hardware features.
If you’ve got an iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, or the iPhone Air, you get an even better version. More powerful on-device AI model. Expressive Siri voices. Sharper speech recognition. More accurate dictation.
The iPhone 18 Pro and the rumored iPhone Fold will also get the good stuff. But the base iPhone 18? Unclear. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple might bump base models to 9GB RAM, but the most powerful on-device models need 12GB.
Let’s be honest — most Apple Intelligence features so far have been disappointing. Siri AI looks like the first genuinely useful one. Even in beta, it’s fast and accurate.
