iOS 16 Minimum Processor Requirements

This article outlines the minimum processor requirements needed to run Apple's iOS 16 operating system. It identifies the baseline chip generation, details the supported iPhone models, and explains which older chipsets lost support with the release of this software version.

To run iOS 16, a device must be equipped with at least the Apple A11 Bionic chip.

The A11 Bionic was introduced in late 2017 and features a 64-bit six-core CPU alongside Apple's first dedicated Neural Engine for machine learning tasks. Devices powered by this minimum required processor include:

• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X

Any device containing a newer processor—such as the A12 Bionic, A13 Bionic, A14 Bionic, A15 Bionic, or A16 Bionic—is also compatible with iOS 16.

With the release of iOS 16, Apple officially dropped support for devices powered by the A9 and A10 Fusion processors. Consequently, the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and the first-generation iPhone SE cannot install iOS 16, as they lack the processing power and hardware architecture required to run the operating system's advanced on-device features.