I love Google Gemini, but I’ll take Apple Intelligence any day of the week

If you’re looking for the best AI experience on a phone, two different AI manufacturers probably come to mind. For him iPhone 16Apple Intelligence is the answer, while for Pixel 9 Series – and the best android phones – is Google Gemini. Of course, you can also Download Gemini as a standalone app on iPhonebut Apple Intelligence is the default AI option.

Both companies offer a nearly identical range of features, at least in what they promise to deliver, but there are nuanced differences as well. Google Gemini focuses primarily on using AI to help you create, edit, and generate content. In contrast, Apple Intelligence focuses more on personal use cases and integration between a variety of applications.

I’ve been using Gemini and Apple Intelligence for months and both AI services have their pros and cons. After trying both for months, this is what I found.

Activating Apple Intelligence and Gemini

Activating any of the AI ​​platforms is quite intuitive, especially if you’ve used an Android phone or iPhone before. Gemini replaces Google Assistant as the default assistant on your phone, although you can turn it off, which you may want to do, especially if you rely on Google Assistant for your smart home. Gemini can most commonly be activated by swiping from the bottom corner of the screen, although it is also available via the “Hey Google” keyword.

Similarly, Apple Intelligence is built into the revamped Siri, which can be activated by using the “Hey Siri” keyword or by double-pressing the power button. When you activate the new Siri, you’ll get a rainbow-style lighting effect around the edge of the entire screen, instead of Siri taking over the entire screen like it did in the previous generation.

Both are easy to activate and use, so this is a tie. I think Gemini is simpler to use and activate, especially since there are several ways to activate it, but conversely, the activation method can change between different Android phones.

Gemini vs Apple Intelligence: how they are similar

Both platforms focus on using AI for three specific purposes: generative functions, such as creating and editing images or text, as well as productivity functions and a voice assistant. The former is the key approach for most AI creators, but I’ve often found that generative AI features can be something of a gimmick. Yes, they will make cool memes, but they probably won’t change your life.

Both platforms allow you to edit images you’ve already captured to remove unwanted objects. Google has had this built into Magic Editor in Google Photos for several years, while iOS 18 brings this feature natively to the iPhone for the first time in the redesigned Apple Photos app.

Take this image that a friend took of me the morning after an intense night of partying. I asked both phones to remove the table menu and the results are quite interesting.

First, it’s immediately obvious that Apple Intelligence isn’t as good as Gemini, as you can see the wood grain on the table is slanted in the same direction as the menu. Other than that, Apple Intelligence does a great job of filling in grains and ensuring there’s continuity in the before and after of the same photo.

What’s up with Google Gemini? This is where Google’s longer story comes into effect: it’s so much better. . Second, it has more precision by allowing you to refine your selection before making an edit. However, at the same time, it takes more taps to access the Magic Editor, and unless you’ve used Google Photos in the past, the average person will probably find Apple Photos more intuitive.

Key differences between Gemini and Apple Intelligence

Google’s approach with Gemini is primarily focused on generative features, as well as making it a Google Assistant replacement. It accomplishes the former very well, although it still needs some work as a true Google Assistant replacement, especially if you need it for smart home controls.

Gemini comes with a variety of features that I enjoy using, especially Circle to Search, which debuted last year in the Galaxy S24 series and makes it easy to search related to something on your screen. Do you want to know where to buy the shoes you just saw on Instagram? Circle to search can search you in seconds.

Meanwhile, Apple Intelligence takes a different approach. It features many of the same generative features, except a true Circle to Search replacement, but is also designed to be your assistant. Whatever app you’re using, Apple Intelligence can edit, rewrite, or summarize text for you, making it particularly poignant when you use a variety of apps.

There is also another key difference between them: the models they use.

Below: Gemini Advanced vs ChatGPT

If you used Siri before the launch of Apple Intelligence, you know that it wasn’t as good as Google Assistant; It wasn’t even close. With that in mind, it almost always seemed inevitable that Apple would turn to another vendor for the underlying models that power Apple Intelligence.

Google already pays Apple to be the default search engine on the iPhone (to the tune of almost $20 billion a year), so it’s somewhat surprising that Apple turned to ChatGPT to provide the underlying models for Apple Intelligence.

This integration goes much further, and when the new Siri can’t help, Apple has integrated ChatGPT as a default backup. This means that there are some duplicate functions (you can generate images using Image Playground or ChatGPT and the same applies to some of the writing tools), but it also means that you have a wide range of information and data to work with. If you have a free or paid ChatGPT account, you can access even more features directly from Apple Intelligence.

Comparatively, Google opts for an autonomous approach. The underlying model behind Gemini is Gemini Advanced, with the Gemini 1.5 Pro in particular being the current non-beta model. If you access Gemini through the web, you will also be able to select the next generation Gemini 2.0 model.

One of the key differences between these two models is that Gemini 1.5 has a larger context window, while ChatGPT tends to generate better human-like text. Both apps allow you to create custom chatbots, but ChatGPT also offers more advanced features and Plus or Enterprise users can create unlimited chatbots.

One somewhat irritating thing about Apple Intelligence is that it doesn’t use the latest GPT-4 modelwhich is much more advanced and capable. It’s unclear if Apple will implement this at a later date or if it will be integrated into the next version of Apple Intelligence, but this is something I would like to see Apple integrate into Apple Intelligence. GPT-4 has a much more recent data set to work with, which poses a challenge to the knowledge base that Apple Intelligence works with.

For example, I asked Apple Intelligence and Gemini who won the US election and they generated an answer related to the 2020 election. After clarifying that I was referring to the 2024 election, they gave me results from Google Search. In this case, it was actually better than Gemini. — who will not discuss the elections — but this is an extreme case and Gemini is usually more accurate when it comes to remembering information than Apple Intelligence.

One more thing: where Apple Intelligence does it so well

For everything Gemini is great at, there’s one feature that Apple Intelligence does well. When deciding how to create useful AI, Apple focused on its ability to affect and improve your personal life, and Apple Intelligence is much better than Gemini at this.

I already wrote that notification summaries are my favorite use of AI right now, but Apple Intelligence goes beyond that. Being able to access writing tools (for composing, refining, or editing text) in any app is much better than Gemini, which acts as an overlay for that app. Similarly, you’ll soon be able to retrieve information from any app, which should make the new Siri a much better personal assistant.

What do I prefer: Gemini or Apple Intelligence?

I’ve been using both platforms for months and answering this question is harder than I expected. On the one hand, Google Gemini is a much better generative AI solution and has access to a much broader knowledge base than Apple Intelligence. On the other hand, Apple Intelligence is a much better personal assistant and has better integration with Apple devices.

Then there is the long-term potential of each of these platforms. Google Gemini is the default AI provider that supports the AI ​​suite on most Android devices, while Apple Intelligence focuses solely on Apple devices but benefits from improvements made by ChatGPT (at least once you’re running the latest models).

All things considered, I found that while Gemini is much more advanced than Apple Intelligence, it’s the latter’s focus on personal features that ensures I use it more often. When I want to search for something or edit a photo, I turn to Gemini, but for everyday use, I find Apple Intelligence (and particularly notification summaries) to be much more beneficial for daily life. That being said, Gemini is easily the best AI platform, at least for now.