Apple Intelligence bested by Google, Samsung as features aren’t compelling enough to drive iPhone upgrades

Apple Intelligence features, while innovative, haven’t proven compelling enough to make a tech journalist switch his primary iPhone, highlighting a critical challenge for Apple’s AI strategy. Despite some useful tools like email summaries and Visual Intelligence, most features lack the essential quality that would drive widespread adoption and hardware upgrades—a potential concern as Apple expands its AI offerings to more markets.

The big picture: Apple’s AI features remain in an optional rather than essential category for many users, despite the company’s significant investment and Tim Cook‘s claims that iPhone 16 models sell better in markets where Apple Intelligence is available.

What works: Some Apple Intelligence features demonstrate genuine utility in daily use.

• Mail’s summary tool effectively condenses long email threads into digestible takeaways, showing polish that other summary features lack.
• Visual Intelligence, newly available on iPhone 15 Pro models with iOS 18.4, offers practical functionality for capturing and converting text from the real world.

What falls short: Many Apple Intelligence features fail to deliver compelling value that would drive hardware upgrades.

• Image Playground suffers from limited style options and restricted functionality for finished creations.
• Memory Movies produces results that aren’t significantly better than the auto-generated slideshows already available in the Photos app without AI intervention.
• Emoji generation and Writing Tools feel superfluous for users who either don’t use emojis or prefer to write without AI assistance.

Why this matters: Apple’s AI strategy depends on convincing users that its Intelligence features justify purchasing new hardware, as these features only work on iPhone 15 Pro models and newer devices.

• The upcoming iOS 18.4 update will expand language support, potentially driving upgrades in new markets.
• While some users find value in these features, their optional rather than essential nature could limit Apple’s ability to drive hardware sales through AI capabilities alone.

Industry context: Apple’s AI approach differs from competitors like Google and Samsung, who have integrated AI features more deeply into their devices.

• Google’s AI features on Pixel phones include more practical tools like Call Screen and audio transcription that solve everyday problems.
• Samsung’s Galaxy AI includes useful features like Circle to Search and real-time translation during phone calls.