The iPhone 16 is rumored to get an AI-powered Siri, and according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, this update will come with a significant boost to the microphone.
In a Medium post, Kuo claims that Apple must strengthen the internals inside the next-generation iPhone to support new-and-improved Siri, particularly the hardware that facilitates voice input.
Which upgrades are coming to the iPhone 16's microphone?
Kuo says that Apple is adding the following two upgrades to the iPhone 16's microphone:
Better water resistance
Improved signal-to-noise ratio
Kuo's conjecture about an AI-powered Siri coming to the iPhone corroborates an early November leak from respected Apple leaker @Tech_Reve.
"Apple is currently using LLM to completely revamp Siri into the ultimate virtual assistant and is preparing to develop it into Apple's most powerful killer AI app," the tipser said.
Tweet may have been deleted
Kuo said that the microphone upgrade will affect all iPhone 16 models, including the entry-level iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and the iPhone 16 Pro variants.
However, don't expect Apple to use the word "AI" when it debuts the new Siri. Despite
AI underpinning many features that Apple debuted at WWDC 2023, including improved iOS autocorrect and 3D avatars for Apple Vision Pro, the Cupertino-based tech giant avoided the word like the plague, opting for "machine learning" instead.
But some would argue that "machine learning" is the more accurate term, anyway.
As always, keep in mind that these are just rumors, so keep your grain of salt handy. However, I'm still looking forward to AI — er, I mean — "machine learning-powered Siri."
