Apple announced iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 at its WWDC 2026 keynote, introducing a revamped Siri experience powered by on‑device large language models.. While the new operating systems will run on iPhone 11 and later, five iPad models are being left behind, and the most advanced AI features demand an M4 processor with at least 12 GB of RAM.

iOS 27 rolls out to iPhone 11 and SE 2

According to the WWDC presentation, every iPhone 11 model and the iPhone SE 2, released in 2019 and 2020, will receive iOS 27. This contradicts earlier specullation that these devices would be stuck on iOS 26. Both the iPhone 11 series and the SE 2 use the A13 Bionic chip and ship with a minimum of 3 GB of RAM, meeting Apple’s hardware threshold for the new OS.

Five iPad models cut from iPadOS 27 support

The company listed the iPad mini 5th‑gen, iPad 8th‑gen, iPad Air 3rd‑gen, iPad Pro 11‑inch 1st‑gen, and iPad Pro 12.9‑inch 3rd‑gen as the only tablets that will not upgrade to iPadOS 27. Apple said these devices will remain on iPadOS 26 with security updates for the foreseeable future. All of the excluded models rely on either the A12 or A12X Bionic chips and have 3‑6 GB of RAM, falling short of the A13‑or‑newer requirement.

Apple Intelligence requires M4 chip and 12 GB RAM

During the keynote, Apple clarified that many of the new AI capabilities—especially the on‑device Siri model—need an M4 processor and at least 12 GB of RAM . Consequently, only the M4‑based iPad Air (2025) and M4/M5 iPad Pro models (2024 onward) can run the full suite of Siri AI features. Base‑level M4 iPad Pro units with 8 GB of RAM will miss out on the most demanding functions.

Beta timeline: developers now, public in July

The developer beta for both iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 is already available, with Apple indicating that a public beta will launch in July and the final release is slated for September. Users are encouraged to verify their device’s RAM and processr specifications to gauge which AI features will be accessible once the update rolls out.

Will older iPads receive any AI features?

Apple has not detailed whether the excluded iPads will get a stripped‑down versiion of Apple Intelligence. The company’s statement focused on hardware limits for the most advanced Siri functions, leaving it unclear if a lighter AI layer will be offered to devices that stay on iPadOS 26.