Apple unveiled a raft of AI-powered features for its latest iPhone 16 lineup at an event on Monday, as global smartphone makers turn to generative AI to encourage customers to upgrade.
READ: Apple debuts iPhone 16 with test AI software rolling out this year and next | Factbox: Apple’s key launches at iPhone 16 unveiling event
Here are the key AI features from Apple and rival Android phone providers such as Alphabet’s Google, South Korea’s Samsung, as well as China’s Huawei:
| Company | Smartphone Lineup | AI Software/ Assistant | Chips used | Visual Features | Text Features | Audio features |
| Apple | iPhone 16 | Apple Intelligence | Apple A18 chips | Can understand
and identify objects captured by the phone camera. Higher-end 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max can also offer suggestions on setting up photo shoots effectively and boast audio-editing capabilities aimed at professional-level video production. |
“Writing tools” which can proofread text and rewrite different versions. It can also generate summaries of audio recordings and transcripts in the Notes or Phone apps. | It will also generate summaries of audio recordings and transcripts in the Notes or Phone apps. |
| Pixel 9 | Gemini | Custom Tensor G4 | It comes with magic editor, a photo editing feature that helps to reimagine parts of an image based on a text prompt. | New AI features include a Pixel-only search which can pull information stored in screenshots. Android users can also now pull up Gemini as an overlay on top of another app to answer questions or generate content. | The Gemini Live feature, available only for Gemini advanced subscribers, is a voice chat option which allows natural conversation, such as interrupting the AI assistant mid-sentence, and pausing and picking up the conversation later. AI is also used to create summaries of phone calls after the call is disconnected. | |
| Samsung | Galaxy Z | Galaxy AI | Qualcomm <QCOM.O> Snapdragon 8 gen | Uses AI to instantly turn sketches into an image. Also has AI-powered editing tools for images. | The Galaxy AI software can suggest corrections and other details when users are typing messages or posting to social media. | It can also help perform real-time translations when speaking or typing. |
| Huawei | Mate XT | Celia AI assistant | In-house Kylin chips | The tri-fold phone comes with image editing functions such as trimming unwanted parts of photos. | It boasts an AI assistant with text summary, translation and editing functions. | Not immediately clear. |
—Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Gurugram and Priyanka G in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila