Apple Intelligence review: Late entry into AI, but headed the right way

Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone, iPad and Mac - powered by Apple Silicon. In its current form, the features enabled by AI are not without flaws, but the integration is cohesive

Apple introduced its suite of intelligence features at its developer-focused event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), in 2024. The 2025 edition is around the corner, yet all the features that the US-based technology giant initially previewed are still not available. Moreover, it is only recently that Apple expanded support to eligible devices in India.

 

Meanwhile, competitors such as Google and Samsung have extended artificial intelligence features beyond the generic. Other players, especially in the smartphone space – including OPPO, Motorola, OnePlus and Vivo – have also joined the race and appear better positioned with regard to intelligence features compared with Apple.

 

Is it a lost race for Apple? Let us find out:

 

Apple Intelligence features that make a difference

 

One of the most debated Apple Intelligence features is actually my personal favourite: Notification Summaries. It’s Apple’s bold attempt to bring order to the chaos of endless group chats, calendar reminders, app pings, and other distractions.

 

Right after updating to iOS 18.4, my cluttered WhatsApp group chats were instantly more manageable. The summaries appeared right on my lock screen, condensing long threads into digestible bites—and even noting when someone reacted to my message with an emoji. Sure, the feature has faced criticism for occasionally misreading news alerts, prompting Apple to limit support for select apps. But when it works (which is often), it genuinely simplifies life.

 

Tied closely to that is Priority Notifications, which ensures key alerts—like bank transactions or flight updates—sit at the top of your stack. Similarly, Priority Messages in the Mail app highlights emails that are more likely to be important or time-sensitive, helping you cut through the noise without having to dig.

 

Another standout feature is the enhanced image search in the Photos app. You can now look up pictures using natural language descriptions, dates, locations, and more. Given how messy the Photos app interface has become in iOS 18, this smarter search tool is a much-needed upgrade.

Genmoji in Messages

Then there are features I might not use daily, but they left a solid impression whenever I did—Writing Tools and Genmoji. Both are deeply integrated throughout the system, so whether you’re writing an email, a note, or a social post, these tools are just a tap away. Testing out their presence, I noticed their unavailability within Meta apps like WhatsApp and Instagram. However, they are accessible across other third-party apps like Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn, and even in Google apps like Gmail and Chats.

Writing Tools accessible in Reddit and Gmail

Writing Tools offer smart editing options—like proofreading, summarising, or rewriting text—with a clean, intuitive UI. There’s even a “Compose” button powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which lets you draft text from scratch based on a simple prompt.

 

ChatGPT integration also extends to Siri, which now sports a glowing new look and can accept typed input. You can ask Siri to fetch answers directly from ChatGPT—great for things like step-by-step guides or creative tasks. Results show up within the same interface, though the process takes a second or two longer. In some cases, Siri will suggest handing off a query to ChatGPT, and you can decide whether to proceed or not.

 

Apple Intelligence features that need improvements

 

Some of the more widely available tools are proving to be the trickiest for Apple to master. This becomes evident when you try the Clean Up tool (AI image eraser) in the Photos app. While it works acceptably well in images with minimal background clutter, it struggles significantly with busy or complex scenes. The same goes for Transcription in Voice Memos—it delivers accurate results with short, clean recordings but often fails to produce coherent text in longer clips or those with background noise. I have tried similar features on other devices, and in comparison, Apple falls short. Flagship phones like the Samsung Galaxy S series and Google Pixel perform better, and even mid-range phones from Vivo, OPPO, and Xiaomi offer more reliable results.

Clean Up in Photos

Clean Up is not the only Apple Intelligence feature in the Photos app. There is also the new “Memories” video generation tool, which automatically compiles photos and clips based on a text prompt and adds background music. It usually does what it’s supposed to—but only in the most basic sense. You’ll still find yourself tweaking transitions, clip order, or music choices manually, which defeats the purpose of an “automatic” memory creation tool.

 

Another area that clearly needs polish is Image Playground, Apple’s AI image generation tool. I like the clean, intuitive interface—it lets you build prompts using a mix of pre-set suggestions, themes, and even your own photos. But the output quality lags behind what you would get from tools built into competing devices. It’s also limited in variety, offering just a few style options, which can make the feature feel restrictive quickly.

Image Playground app

Then there’s Visual Intelligence, which feels like a mixed bag. The feature lets you scan your surroundings using the phone’s camera, and then either search Google or ask ChatGPT questions about what’s on screen. Google Search works similarly to Google Lens, while ChatGPT results add some contextual depth that might be useful in niche situations. One interesting capability is how it handles printed text—it can summarise it or auto-schedule events based on what's captured from books, posters, or signage. Unfortunately, it falters with handwritten content, producing inconsistent results.

 

Overall, Visual Intelligence does not feel quite as seamless or powerful as similar features from competitors like Google Gemini Live, which has recently gained slick screen and camera sharing ability with AI assistant. In comparison, Apple’s implementation still feels like a first draft.

 

Final thoughts

 

Apple may have arrived late to the AI game, but it’s clear that with Apple Intelligence, the company is aiming for deeper system-level integration rather than flashy gimmicks. Some features like Notification Summaries, Priority Messages, and Writing Tools are already proving to be genuinely helpful in daily use, especially because of how seamlessly they blend into the Apple ecosystem.

 

That said, many tools still feel like works in progress. Clean Up, Memories, and Image Playground show promise but fall short when compared to what the competition currently offers. Meanwhile, Visual Intelligence has its moments, but needs more polish and precision to feel truly intuitive.

 

Overall, Apple Intelligence is a good start—one that shows the company’s intent to catch up quickly while playing to its strengths. The execution is not flawless, but it’s unmistakably Apple in its approach, prioritising integration and user experience over raw experimentation. The real test will be how quickly Apple evolves these features with future platform updates.