Seven AI Upgrades The iPhone 17 Needs To Compete

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

While the iPhone App Store is filled with the latest AI applications, the device itself lacks the deep, system-level AI integration that competitors are starting to master. The recent launch of Google's Pixel 10 lineup, with its powerful hardware and operating system fusion, highlights this gap. For the iPhone 17 to stay at the forefront of innovation, Apple needs to seamlessly embed more advanced AI capabilities.

Here are seven features from today's AI leaders that would make a significant impact if integrated directly into the next iPhone.

Key Highlights

• The advanced, deeply integrated AI features in the Google Pixel 10 phones reveal a potential vulnerability for the upcoming iPhone 17.
• Apple could partner with leading AI companies, whose apps are already on the iPhone, to create deeper, more powerful integrations.
• The new AI-powered camera features in the Pixel 10 could become a major differentiator against the iPhone 17.

1. A Truly Conversational Assistant like ChatGPT Voice

OpenAI's Voice Mode in ChatGPT demonstrates the kind of natural, intuitive interaction users have long wanted from Siri. You can simply start a conversation to ask questions, find information, and perform basic actions. While some users have found workarounds, like assigning Voice Mode to the iPhone's Action Button, its capabilities remain limited. A native Apple version or a deep partnership with OpenAI could allow an assistant to manage your calendar, email, messages, and settings with robust privacy protections. With Google's Gemini Live and Microsoft's Copilot Voice also in the market, Apple needs to make a bold move to keep pace.

2. Advanced Computational Zoom Photography

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Zoom photography has always been a weak point for smartphones. However, Google is changing the game with its Super Res Zoom feature in the Pixel 10 Pro. By using AI to fill in missing data, it can process a digital zoom image up to 100x and make it far more usable. This is a significant leap in computational photography, and Apple is one of the few companies with the expertise to compete with Google in this arena. The iPhone 17 needs a similar feature to maintain its reputation for camera excellence.

3. Proactive Personal Intelligence with Magic Cue

At WWDC 2024, Apple showcased a vision for "Personal Intelligence" that could understand user context from calendars, emails, and messages to provide proactive assistance. This feature never launched, but Google has delivered a similar concept with Magic Cue in the Pixel 10. For instance, if a friend texts you about dinner reservations, Magic Cue can pull the time from a confirmation email and suggest a reply with a single tap. While Google is doing this with its on-device Tensor G5 chip, many users would likely trust Apple more with this level of personal data, given its strong stance on privacy.

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

4. Powerful On-Demand Deep Research

Generative AI is an incredible tool for research, and features like Deep Research are saving users tremendous amounts of time. By giving an AI model a complex question and a few minutes to work, it can return a detailed answer with cited sources. Anthropic's Claude app excels at this with a strong focus on accuracy. With reports of Apple and Anthropic in collaboration talks, integrating Claude’s Deep Research directly into Siri would be a game-changer for on-the-go information gathering.

5. Perfect Group Shots with Best Take

Google's Best Take feature addresses the common problem of getting a perfect group photo where everyone is looking at the camera with a good expression. It analyzes a burst of photos and combines the best elements of each into a single, ideal image. The new "Auto Best Take" on the Pixel 10 automates this process. Similarly, the "Add Me" feature cleverly uses AR and AI to let the photographer insert themselves into the group shot. Apple has the computational photography prowess to build a similar feature, or it could potentially license the technology from Google.

6. Comprehensive Language Translation Support

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Language translation is a core strength of large language models (LLMs), yet Apple Translate only supports 20 languages. This pales in comparison to competitors like Google Translate, which supports over 100. From smartphones to smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans, real-time translation is becoming a mainstream feature. Apple should leverage LLMs to dramatically expand its language support and integrate it across the OS, from Siri to Live Translation in calls and Visual Intelligence for text in images.

7. Intuitive Conversational Photo Editing

The most surprising feature in the new Pixel 10 might be its Conversational Editing in Google Photos. This allows you to simply describe the edits you want to make to a photo in natural language, and the AI executes them. You can ask it to move a subject, remove glare, replace the background, or add clouds to a sky. This powerful tool makes advanced photo editing accessible to everyone, regardless of technical skill. Given its potential popularity, this is an area where Apple cannot afford to be left behind.

The Road Ahead for Apple

Apple has significant ground to cover. While the company has a reputation for perfecting features before release, the rapid advancements in AI from competitors mean that waiting too long could be costly. To prevent the iPhone 17 from feeling a step behind, Apple must close the AI gap and prove that it can still deliver the smartest, most intuitive device on the market.