According to Apple, the new AI features - Apple Intelligence requires the lowest chip hardware, the A17 Pro. Therefore, the current iPhones are only compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The aggregated data on Geekbench 6 shows that the hardware performance of the iPhone 15 Pro Max has significantly improved speed compared to its predecessor. However, currently, when the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses iOS 18, the benchmark results of this flagship show amazing performance.

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iPhone 15 Pro Max has significantly improved speed compared to the previous generation when running iOS 18 beta. Illustration: Tudocelular

iOS 18, although still in beta, brings significant improvements to the Neural Engine (the iPhone's AI processor), making the iPhone even faster.

According to the results revealed in a post by INIYSA on X (formerly Twitter), the score of the iPhone 15 Pro Max when using iOS 18 is significantly higher than when using iOS 17.

The Geekbench benchmark score for the Core ML Neural Engine Inference Score test of the iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 17.5.1 is just over 6,000. But with iOS 18, the iPhone 15 Pro Max reaches 7,816 points - 25% faster than iOS 17. Note that this iOS 18 version is only a beta.

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iOS 18 significantly improves performance on iPhone 15 Pro Max. Screenshot

The same source said that the results were even more impressive in various Geekbench text classification tests. Specifically, when the iPhone 15 Pro Max updated to iOS 18, it improved some results by more than 1,000%. This is clearly an impressive leap thanks to the optimization of iOS 18.

Although benchmark scores are simply reference numbers and do not accurately reflect the actual smartphone experience of everyday users, it still proves that iOS 18 is optimizing the iPhone's Neural Engine more than iOS 17.

However, AppleInsider advises users not to upgrade to iOS 18 beta unless they need to develop software or have a spare iPhone.

According to Apple, iPhone users can now download the iOS 18 beta to experience the new features. However, Apple also recommends backing up data in case the version is not stable. iOS 18 will be officially available to general users this fall.

Which iPhones will be updated to iOS 18? Apple has just announced iOS 18 at the 35th global developer conference - WWDC 2024. This is considered the biggest iOS update but not all iPhones can update.