Apple will open iPhone 17 preorders on Friday, but the four new devices aren’t the only iPhones being sold by Apple. As always, Apple discounted some of the previous-generation phones, which are available online and in Apple retail stores for the usual $100 discount compared to the original prices. The good news is that, unlike a year ago, all the iPhones Apple sells now support Apple Intelligence out of the box. Apple has fixed the Apple Intelligence fragmentation “problem” it created with the iOS 18 update, eliminating older iPhone models that can’t support Apple Intelligence from its inventory.
iPhone buyers who want a new iPhone, whether it’s one of the four iPhone 17 models or a cheaper iPhone 16, can buy one knowing that Apple Intelligence features will be available from the moment they set up the phone. While Apple Intelligence is still trailing ChatGPT and Google Gemini in terms of capabilities, Apple is working to catch up in the coming months and years. For now, Apple has ensured that all the iPhone hardware sold in its stores will support Apple Intelligence features available in iOS 26 and future updates.
Which iPhones did Apple discontinue?
Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 in June 2024, revealing the hardware requirements for its proprietary suite of AI tools. Apple said Apple Intelligence would work on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max at a time when the iPhone 15 series was the latest iPhone generation available in stores. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would not support Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 14 models Apple still sold also couldn’t run Apple’s AI.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 series in September 2024, and all four models featured updated specs that ensured they would support Apple Intelligence out of the box. But even so, Apple’s fall 2024 iPhone lineup included select iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 models that were unsuitable for the AI upgrade.
Apple removed the iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus phones from its lineup earlier this year when it unveiled the cheaper iPhone 16e. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus stuck around as the only iPhones in Apple’s inventory that did not support Apple Intelligence.
Earlier this week, Apple removed the two iPhone 15 models from its fall 2025 iPhone lineup. This gives buyers a simpler iPhone lineup that features only iPhones that are compatible with Apple Intelligence: iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple also discontinued the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max this week, but Apple never sells previous-generation Pro models once it launches the newest iPhone series. Buyers looking for iPhone models Apple doesn’t sell online or in retail stores may still find limited inventory in electronics stores or from mobile carriers.
