Apple is planning its biggest overhaul of Siri in the assistant’s 15-year history. New leaked details show what it will look like alongside some new functionality when it lands with iOS 27.
The only problem is that the update will only come to newer iPhone models and, with newly improved trade-in prices and the prospect of iPhone 18 price rises ahead, this might be the sweet spot for an upgrade.
Read on for more and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for instant deal updates the latest iPhone 18 price news.
Apple’s New iOS 27 Siri Is A Major Upgrade
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max will get the updated Apple Intelligence. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mockups created by Bloomberg, based on leaked details, reveal that iOS 27 will introduce a completely rebuilt Siri, now available as a standalone app. Rather than the not-so-smart assistant that has barely changed in the last decade, the new Siri will work like a proper AI chatbot, similar to ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Claude.
It works in two ways. Pressing the Siri button will trigger a response through the Dynamic Island, Apple’s pill-shaped status bar at the top of the screen, for quick voice queries.
A new search interface, accessed by swiping down on the home screen, opens a full chat-style experience where users can search their phone and the web, launch apps, compose messages, add calendar events and get detailed AI-powered answers. All of it is powered by a rebuilt Siri model that uses Google’s Gemini AI technology.
The Problem: Most iPhones Won’t Get The New iOS 27 Siri
All of these features may require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Apple still states that its Apple Intelligence features are reserved for newer iPhones and other recent hardware.
That may change when iOS 27 is unveiled at WWDC on June 8th, but considering both Samsung and Google have reserved Gemini Intelligence for their latest phones, Apple being the generous exception seems unlikely. Hardware limitations will also play a role in what works on older devices.
So it’s likely that the base iPhone 15, the iPhone 14 Pro, and anything older won’t get the new Siri regardless of whether they can install iOS 27.
Whether you care about AI features or not—and several surveys suggest most smartphone shoppers don’t—AI is being baked into the core smartphone experience, across brands, not just iPhones. The latest Gemini Intelligence update landing in July will rely more heavily on agentic AI as a central part of daily use. Read more about that here.
The result is a clear two-tier iPhone experience from September. iPhone 15 Pro and newer get the fully rebuilt Siri and upgraded Apple Intelligence. iPhone 12 through to the iPhone 15 base model get iOS 27 performance improvements but a more limited AI toolset, if anything at all. That may partly explain why Apple recently raised its trade-in prices, to encourage more people into the upgrade cycle.
iOS 27: Why Now Is The Right Time To Upgrade Your iPhone
Apple raised its trade-in values for several iPhone models this week, and quietly removed some Samsung phones from its trade-in list, as I reported this week. The iPhone 15 Plus is now worth $325, up from $320. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is now valued at $375, up from $350. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is priced at $320, up from $305.
These are likely the highest values you will see before September, when the iPhone 18 Pro launches and potentially sends trade-in prices downward, which happened after the iPhone 17 launched last year.
If you own an iPhone 15 or older and are considering upgrading through Apple, selling now while trade-in prices are at their peak is the smart move. If you would rather not pay for a new iPhone 17, third-party retailers like Best Buy sell certified refurbished iPhone 15 Pro models from around $679 depending on the condition. That is likely the cheapest way into the full iOS 27 AI experience.
