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iPhone 16 Pro Max Upgrade to IP 16 only because of Apple Intelligence, worth it?
- Thread starter drugdoubles
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No
At this point wait for iPhone 17
Apple Intelligence is still in beta and missing many features
I suspect it won't be fully "baked" until iOS 19 / iPhone 17 this Fall
At this point wait for iPhone 17
Apple Intelligence is still in beta and missing many features
I suspect it won't be fully "baked" until iOS 19 / iPhone 17 this Fall
At this point, consider waiting for the 17.
Honestly doesn't matter if it's "for Apple Intelligence" as stated by the OP
Not yet. Apple Intelligence at the moment is..... half baked. If you have a working phone and thats the only reason you're thinking of upgrading - wait.
Agreed. Upgrade could still be worth it if coming from something like an iPhone XR and going to a Pro/Max. But if coming from something like an iPhone 15 just for AI, I wouldn't recommend that.
My personal opinion, not worth it. I have a 14 pro max and wife has a 14, neither of us are upgrading. Honestly this is the first time in a long time I am just going to hold on to this phone until they make something that really makes me want to upgrade. The 15 and 16 have not really had anything for me to be excited about, and doesn't look like the 17 will be much different.
My kids got the 16 but that's because one was using an SE2 on its last legs and the other had a 12.
Christ no. Don’t waste your money if just for crApple Intelligence.
As with most things Apple these days, Apple Intelligence is just a half-assed, completely feature lacking, unstable, battery hogging, pretty ineffectual waste of time (IMO).
As with most things Apple these days, Apple Intelligence is just a half-assed, completely feature lacking, unstable, battery hogging, pretty ineffectual waste of time (IMO).
Apple Intelligence isn't anywhere close to being consistently useful and based on recent speculation, is likely to be that way for a while. I would wait for the fall and get the 17 and there's a better chance that 18.X or 19 finally delivers something worthwhile.
The 16 Pro has become Apple's weakest iPhone release in over a decade. They literally sold customers a beta phone with empty AI promises. I'm not holding my breath that the 17 Pro will be any better.
No one here can answer whether you'll get sufficient utility out of Apple Intelligence to warrant an upgrade. What's your current phone? What's your budget? What do you want to use Apple Intelligence for? Does it, in its current beta state, meet those needs? Can you fulfill those needs using third-party LLM clients like Claude, OpenAI, etc. on your current phone, or by using Apple Intelligence on a device you already own that supports it (Mac or iPad)? Answer those questions for yourself, by yourself and there will be your answer.
Or, if you just want it to have something new and shiny, then just do it. Justification is unnecessary.
Or, if you just want it to have something new and shiny, then just do it. Justification is unnecessary.
Just download the ChatGPT app and use it on your existing iPhone. No need to upgrade. AI is already on the App Store
This. Why not just download ChatGPT, or any of the other AI apps in the App Store. The real useful features of Apple Intelligence are provided by ChatGPT anyway. Create a shortcut for quick access to ChatGPT, and it's like having the real deal from Apple.
I use Apple intelligence every day, but I’m also a “power user” and make an effort to use all features of my devices.
I use writing tools to proofread all my posts and emails but don’t use it to rewrite. I use visual intelligence when I don’t know what something is (like a food menu item with no description). I’ll float ideas to ChatGPT via Siri for recipes or substitutions (I’m a cook by trade). And I use clean up to blur faces and remove text from pictures(like logos or personal information).
If that doesn’t sound like how you use your devices, it’s not worth the upgrade.
I use writing tools to proofread all my posts and emails but don’t use it to rewrite. I use visual intelligence when I don’t know what something is (like a food menu item with no description). I’ll float ideas to ChatGPT via Siri for recipes or substitutions (I’m a cook by trade). And I use clean up to blur faces and remove text from pictures(like logos or personal information).
If that doesn’t sound like how you use your devices, it’s not worth the upgrade.
I dabbled in it, but I definitely wouldn't consider it worth a phone upgrade at this point. If your current phone is working for you, I join the chorus of others telling you to hold off for now.
I would tend to say no.
What language do you speak ? If it's anything other than English : You're out of luck, Apple Intelligence still isn't available for you.
And if you speak English, I've heard bad things about Apple Intelligence so far. I've tried it a bit myself and it wasn't that great to be honest.
If your major "pain point" is Siri, like many other people, while they are indeed adding a few features here and there, Siri won't be much more intelligent before it is based on an LLM, which should be in iOS 19.
The iPhone 16 is a great device though, and great upgrade from whatever previous non-pro model you'd have.
But upgrading for Apple Intelligence specifically : No. Don't.
I use Apple Intelligence pretty regularly and still wouldn’t recommend most people upgrade only for Apple Intelligence. Especially when we’re about as close to the 17’s release as we are to the 16 release at this point.
Now if you are on an older phone, or need a new one now because your existing phone broke or something, then sure.
Now if you are on an older phone, or need a new one now because your existing phone broke or something, then sure.
Apple intelligence is amazing mate and that's obvious because we expect nothing but the best experience from $3.6 trillion company.
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Interesting comment. Do you own one? Or are you just hypothesizing? I have used minimum every other generation since v1, use a 16 PM every day and never for a second have I considered it to be "Apple's weakest iPhone release in over a decade." So I would suggest that you are just blowing smoke.
Edit: I agree that AI is still beta, but AI is just a tiny part of the iPhone 16 Pro's competence. The 16 Pros are great phones; however I would not suggest that anyone should buy one just to get the AI capability. However if one was choosing between a 16P and an older iPhone I would consider the AI capability of the 16P to likely be a significant value add for future iOS versions.
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At this pint, I am waiting for the iPhone 17 Pro as I think the updates will be more significant.
Apple intelligence is amazing mate and that's obvious because we expect nothing but the best experience from $3.6 trillion company.
Why does Tim have elephantiasis of the fist?
Thx for suggestions. The ChatGPT in Apple Intelligence is not even full version? Better just download the ChatGPT app and use the full power version of it?