Apple plans to update the microphones in its upcoming iPhone 16 phones to improve the experience of using its personal voice assistant Siri.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst, said the company wants to improve voice input on upcoming iPhones and language processing while incorporating generative AI features into Siri.
The iPhone 16's microphone upgrades include improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which is the ratio of desired information (the strength of the audio signal) to background noise. It also offers better waterproofing and better call quality.
AAC Technologies and Goertek will supply microphone components for the iPhone 16 to Apple, with prices increasing by 100% to 150% compared to the iPhone 15.
On a related note, other reports indicate that Apple intends to make Siri improvements one of its areas of focus when promoting the upcoming iPhone 16 phones.
Siri's AI capabilities will be available with the upcoming iOS 18 for iPhones eligible for the update. However, some features will only be available on the iPhone 16 and others will not be available due to improved specifications and the inclusion of hardware to power the AI features.
On the other hand, Samsung is also preparing to integrate artificial intelligence functions into the Galaxy S24 mobile phone, which will be launched early next year based on the “Gaussian” model it developed.