The next flagship phone from Apple will be the iPhone 16 series, expected next fall. But rumors are already building and now there is a report from the highly reliable Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities about an essential component which is to get a big upgrade: the microphone, with Siri being the service which will benefit.
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Apple’s iPhones have always had great microphones, but the next-gen mic will take things to a new level. It looks like all the iPhone 16 series handsets will benefit from the upgrade and the purpose is to significantly improve the Siri experience.
In a post on Medium, Ming-Chi Kuo said, “My latest survey indicates that all iPhone 16 models will feature a significant upgrade in microphone specifications. In addition to better water resistance, the key specification upgrade is a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to improve the Siri experience significantly.”
Of course, any improvement to a phone’s microphone is welcome, promising better call quality, for a start. But Kuo believes the upgrade is all about artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence-generated content. Kuo says, “With artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) gaining significant popularity in 2023, it is not difficult to predict that the iPhone 16 will offer relevant innovative features.”
The analyst goes on to say that Apple has recently reorganized its Siri team in order to integrate AIGC, with voice being key on the iPhone. So, a better microphone could supercharge Siri. Specifically, he says, “It could indicate that Apple expects to integrate more AI/AIGC capabilities into Siri as a key selling point of the iPhone 16.”
Apple says it has been working on AI and Generative AI, as it calls it, for a long time, so next year could be when this work comes to fruition, and provides new capabilities. Kuo says that Apple may not have the space to itself, though, commenting, “As AI devices emerge as a critical trend in consumer electronics in 2024, other Apple products and high-end Android phones will likely upgrade their microphones.”
This makes a lot of sense. There’s little point in making Siri more potent without hardware to match the software, so the virtual personal assistant can hear your enquiries and commands better.
And a better microphone also means improved performance across the iPhone, from phone calls to FaceTime to sharper sound on videos and even conference calling apps like Zoom—which could certainly benefit from better audio.
These are early days for iPhone rumors, though we’ve already heard about a newly redesigned battery,internal changes to help prevent overheating, and a new material for the phone’s display. And there’s plenty of time for more features to leak.
