iOS 27 beta feels faster, but Siri AI still stumbles

Apple’s iOS 27 public beta arrived on Monday, July 13, roughly a month after the company unveiled the next iPhone software at WWDC in June. After using both the developer and public betas, CNET’s verdict is mixed: the update feels more polished than exciting, with noticeable performance gains and a few genuinely useful additions, but several AI-heavy features still fall short.

The clearest improvement is speed. On an iPhone 14 Pro running the developer beta and an iPhone 16 Pro that later got the public beta, CNET found unlocking, opening apps and switching screens all felt snappier than on iOS 26.5. That’s not a flashy headline feature, but it changes the feel of the phone in everyday use.

One of the most practical additions is a new full-screen widget size. In apps like Apple Music, News, Reminders and Weather, the larger format shows much more information at once. CNET said the bigger Apple Music widget displaying six playlists felt far more useful than the smaller version showing four.

Apple also quietly upgraded the Weather app. New Precipitation and Wind buttons in the hourly forecast carousel add more visual detail to both hourly and weekly views, making it easier to judge rainfall and wind conditions at a glance.

The bigger problem is Siri AI, which Apple positions as a core part of iOS 27 through its integration with Apple Intelligence. CNET describes the assistant as inconsistent in the beta, sometimes handling simple tasks like opening apps or sending messages, and other times failing to register voice commands, freezing on screen, or mishandling multi-step requests. The report also notes that when asked about current events, Siri AI returned information that was about a month old.

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CNET points to a disclaimer in Siri AI’s answers telling users to verify information, and notes that a BBC study from last October found other AI models misrepresented news content about 45% of the time.

One Siri AI feature did stand out: contextual prompts in Messages that let users tap once to add something to Reminders or Notes, or take other actions across apps.

There’s also a usability tradeoff. With Siri AI enabled, swiping down from the top-middle of the home screen opens Siri Search or Ask, which shifts Notification Center access to the top-left. CNET says that makes one-handed use harder, especially for right-handed users.

The new AI photo tools, Extend and Reframe, also seem hit or miss. Extend expands a photo’s borders using AI, while Reframe changes perspective, but CNET reported odd distortions including altered tattoos and a flattened-looking head.

For now, the beta looks less like a major reinvention than a round of under-the-hood refinement with a few useful interface changes. CNET recommends installing it on a secondary device, not a primary phone, because beta bugs and battery issues remain possible. Apple is expected to release the final version this fall, and based on past releases, CNET expects it around mid-September.