Apple Intelligence on iPhone 16: A Bold Move or a Missed Opportunity?
iPhone’s Apple Intelligence into the iPhone 16 is great but now revolutionary yet.
Apple’s long-awaited leap into the world of AI-powered intelligence has arrived, and the spotlight is squarely on the iPhone 16. Apple’s Apple Intelligence is the company’s bold attempt at creating a smarter, more intuitive experience across its devices. But when we take a closer look at the iPhone 16 and its so-called “intelligence,” we’re forced to ask the age-old question: Is this genius or just another case of artificial intelligence?
For months, the tech giant has teased its Apple Intelligence features, promising a transformation that would redefine user experience across its ecosystem. But as we sit here with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in our hands, the question is: Are these features living up to the hype, or have they fallen short?
The Reality of Apple’s AI Promise
I’ve spent a good amount of time exploring the various Apple Intelligence features on the iPhone 16 and — well — here’s my honest take. While some features show promise, many seem half-baked or simply not ready for prime time, just yet. They’re useful, yes, but they don’t make your heart race.
1. Visual Intelligence: A Glimpse of the Future (Or Just Another Gimmick?)
Let’s start with one of the iPhone 16’s most marketed features: Visual Intelligence. Available only on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro (for now), this tool uses the iPhone’s camera to identify objects, landmarks, or even the animals. By pressing the “Ask” button, you can ask ChatGPT anything about what it sees. Want to know the breed of a dog or the name of a plant? ,the iPhone 16 can tell you. But, it’s not exactly groundbreaking.
I’ve seen similar technology in other devices, such as Samsung’s Bixby on the Galaxy S8, where a simple photo could lead to information about an object. So while Visual Intelligence is undeniably cool and faster than before, it’s not something that blows my mind (at-least for now). In many ways, it feels like Apple’s take on something we’ve seen before — polished and reliable, but not revolutionary in any capacity (may be, because we expect some thing better and more unique from the Apple).
2. Writing Tools: Helpful, but Not Essential
Apple’s AI writing tools are another feature I had high expectations for. These tools can assist in tweaking your messages, emails, or even entire documents by adjusting the tone. For instance, if you want your message to sound friendlier or more professional? Just select the appropriate option, and that is it.
I’ve tried using these features with everything from casual texts to formal work emails. Honestly, it works just about all right — but does it wow me? Not really. While it’s nice to have an AI editor for quick tweaks, I find that I rarely need to rewrite things in such a robotic, formulaic manner. Yes, it’s great to have AI that can help reduce word count or make your writing a bit sharper, but it’s hardly something I reach for daily.
Another thing, writing tools are available across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but Apple’s failure to integrate these features into the Vision Pro for now, (which is its most futuristic device ) is kind of puzzling.
3. Notification Summaries: Underwhelming at Best
Here’s the thing about notification summaries, they just don’t work well for me. This feature tries to condense multiple notifications from an app into a single, digestible line. Sounds convenient, right? But for me, the results are often clumsy.
I’ve tested it across several different apps — whether it’s a stream of text messages or an avalanche of app notifications — and each time I’ve felt disappointed. It rarely condenses things in a way that’s genuinely helpful.
Instead, I found that many times, I ended up with notifications that still felt unorganized or unclear. Maybe it’s useful for others, but for me, it just didn’t deliver as promised. It’s the kind of feature I ended up turning off.
4. Photos App: Background Removal — Finally Done Right?
Now, here’s (a bit of) a shiny gem in the iPhone 16, the background object removal tool in the Photos app. Apple’s AI-powered cleanup tool does a surprisingly good job of eliminating unwanted elements from your photos — whether it’s a person who walked into your shot or a random object that spoils the picture’s vibe in your view. It’s like Google’s Magic Eraser, but with Apple’s signature smooth execution.
Honestly, it’s one of the few Apple Intelligence features I’ve found genuinely useful. The AI is quick, accurate, and, most importantly, it delivers better results than what I’ve seen from its competitors. While this might not be an earth-shattering innovation, for me, it’s something I’ll use quite often to clean up my photos.
5. Siri + ChatGPT Integration: A Step Toward the Future, But Not Quite There Yet
One of the most talked-about additions is the integration of ChatGPT with Siri. Like others, I too had high hopes for this — after all, ChatGPT has revolutionized how we interact with AI. But the integration here feels somewhat incomplete. It’s essentially a Siri+ChatGPT hybrid, where Siri will hand off more complex queries to ChatGPT if it detects that the question is beyond her scope.
While this is a step in the right direction, it’s not a game-changer just yet. The functionality is somewhat limited, and the experience feels more like a “one-off” feature rather than a seamless part of the Siri ecosystem. I’d love to see this evolve into something more powerful, like voice-activated GPT-driven app management or more complex personal tasks, but we’re not quite there yet.
6. The Bottom Line: Apple Intelligence — A Work in Progress
So, after spending some time with Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16, where do I stand? Honestly, it’s a work in progress. The features available right now — like the Visual Intelligence and Photos AI tools — are definitely useful in certain contexts. But for most people, I don’t think these features are groundbreaking. They feel more like incremental upgrades rather than anything revolutionary.
Apple’s made a lot of noise about AI changing everything, but so far, the reality is a little less spectacular than we were led to believe. Writing tools and notification summaries feel like they’re trying to play it safe, and the Siri+ChatGPT integration is still finding its footing. As a tech enthusiast, I’m hopeful that Apple will continue to improve these features. I can see potential in how Siri could become more capable or how Visual Intelligence might be refined, but until then, Apple’s AI ambitions remain a little underwhelming.
Is Apple Intelligence the Future of iPhones?
Will these AI features be the cornerstone of Apple’s future? Maybe, some day. The iPhone 16 shows a glimpse of what’s to come, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Apple’s latest push into artificial intelligence is a bold move, but whether it’ll become truly game-changing remains to be seen. For now, I’m not convinced that the iPhone 16’s Apple Intelligence is quite the leap forward we’ve been promised — but it’s certainly a good start.
