The unveiling of Apple Intelligence has received positive feedback from the majority of users, but some users are disappointed that most iPhones are not compatible. Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models support Apple Intelligence.

Since Apple revealed its AI strategy during its WWDC 2024 keynote this week, there has been a lot of speculation as to why. And now Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared his thoughts.

In a report posted on Medium, Kuo explains the difference between the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 15 and the M1 chip in the iPad through 2021. iPhone 15 in late 2023 will be Apple Intelligence, but the 3-year-old iPad Pro can run it.

Kuo said the obvious difference between the two is the on-device DRAM (dynamic random access memory), which is the critical part.

For reference, the M1 chip has about 11 TOPS of computing power, while the A16 chip has about 17 TOPS. In contrast, the iPhone 15's A16 chip has 6 GB of DRAM, compared to 8 GB for the M1 chip and the A17 Pro chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Therefore, one can assume that Apple Intelligence requires about 2GB of spare memory to function, which is problematic given the general shortage of on-device DRAM for Apple's phones.

Whereas Android phones with DRAM options as large as 16GB and even 24GB (the recent Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro) are common, Apple offers fewer DRAM options in its devices, most not exceeding 6GB. However, we are likely to start seeing this change, given rumors that the iPhone 16 will feature higher DRAM overall, and the 2GB requirement for using Apple Intelligence.

There is an obvious argument that Apple intentionally imposed this 2GB requirement to drive consumers to upgrade their phones. However, another school of thought is that Apple is focused on providing the best product possible, and that comes with certain limitations. Further digging into Apple Intelligence will clarify this in the coming months.