iPhone 16 to Get 'Substantial' Microphone Upgrade for Improved Siri Experience With AI Features: Ming-Chi Kuo

Here's how Apple might be preparing its upcoming iPhone 16 models for a revamped, AI-powered Siri experience.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 8 December 2023 12:04 IST

iPhone 16 to Get 'Substantial' Microphone Upgrade for Improved Siri Experience With AI Features: Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple is said to be planning to upgrade the microphones on all iPhone 16 models

Highlights

Apple's iPhone 16 models could be equipped with improved microphones
The upgraded hardware is expected to make its way to all iPhone 16 models
The upgraded iPhone 16 microphones are likely to increase Apple's costs

iPhone 16 is expected to arrive next year as the successor to the iPhone 15 series of smartphones, and while Apple's next handsets aren't expected to debut until the second half of 2024, details of their specifications have already begun to surface online. According to TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 models will be equipped with an upgraded microphone that is designed to significantly improve the Siri experience and voice input on the company's purported smartphones.

Kuo shared details of his latest industry survey that indicates Apple's next smartphones will "feature a significant upgrade in microphone specifications" in a blog post. The biggest improvement to the microphone's specifications would be to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This is the measure of the strength of the signal to be recorded, relative to the background or ambient noise. The microphones on the iPhone 16 series will also offer better water resistance, according to Kuo.

Apple wants to upgrade the microphones on the iPhone 16 in order to improve Siri performance on the handsets, the analyst says, explaining that this could be connected to the Cupertino company's decision to rejig its Siri team to work on including large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) in Q3 2023.

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The inclusion of upgraded microphone technology is expected to come at a cost. According to Kuo, the average sale price (ASP) of the microphones for all models in the iPhone 16 series could rise substantially — between 100 percent and 150 percent more than their predecessors. He adds that Apple's component suppliers Goertek and AAC are expected to benefit the most from the company's hardware upgrades.

Kuo isn't the first to predict that Apple will offer significant upgrades to Siri with AI improvements to the iOS operating system next year. In October, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was working on major upgrades to the voice assistant's capabilities, powered by Apple's own LLM, along with better suggestions for the Messages app. Despite purported concerns with the AI features, the improved functionality could be introduced as early as 2024, according to Gurman.

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iPhone 15

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Big upgrades over the 14
Excellent ergonomics, build quality
Very good all-round performance
Apple ecosystem benefits

Bad
Relatively slow charging
Expensive
Still a 60Hz display

Read detailed Apple iPhone 15 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: iPhone 16, Siri, iPhone 16 specifications, AI, Artificial Intelligence, iOS 18, Apple

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More