The base iPhone 17 won't get two of Siri's new AI upgrades.
At WWDC 2026 Apple revealed that its most advanced on‑device AI model now requires 12 GB of unified memory. The model powers more expressive Siri voices and a higher‑accuracy dictation engine. Only devices with 12 GB or more – the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPad models with the M4 chip, Macs with M3 or later, and Vision Pro with M5 – will receive those two features. The standard iPhone 17, limited to 8 GB, will still run iOS 27 and the new chatbot‑style assistant, but with the older voice set and the previous dictation quality.
For users who rely on voice dictation, the upgrade could be noticeable: better punctuation, capitalization and fewer transcription errors. Most other Siri functions, such as personal context and web answers, remain unchanged on the base model. In short, the iPhone 17 still works, but power‑hungry AI features now have a hardware price tag.
Apple's memory bump is the first time it has forced a feature split within a flagship line.