On Tuesday, noted leaker “Phone Chip Expert” said next year’s iPhone 17 models will have 12GB of RAM for more advanced on-device AI applications. Not so fast, says Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, that 12GB RAM upgrade will be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Among the 2025 new iPhone models, only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the following specifications:
1. 12GB DRAM (while the ultra-thin iPhone, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and SE4 will all have 8GB). Enhanced on-device AI capabilities will likely be a major selling point for…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) August 29, 2024
If Kuo is correct, the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 “Slim,” and iPhone 17 Pro will only be equipped with 8GB of RAM, the same amount of RAM that is expected for the entire iPhone 16 lineup this year. The fourth-generation iPhone SE, which is expected to debut in early 2025, is also expected to boast 8GB of RAM.
The Apple Intelligence coming in iOS 18 is the reason for the interest in the upcoming device’s amount of RAM, as 8GB is the minimum amount of RAM required for Apple Intelligence. This means that only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the two high-end iPhones in the iPhone 15 lineup, will support AI. (The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are equipped with only 6GB of RAM.)
While 8GB of RAM may be the minimum amount of RAM able to handle Apple Intelligence, an iPhone with 12GB of RAM would offer enough elbow room for more powerful AI capabilities, so if Kuo is correct, you’ll need to spring for a high-end iPhone 17 next year to get all you can out of Apple’s current and upcoming AI features.
In addition to the increased 12GB of RAM, Kuo says the iPhone 17 Pro Max will also boast an exclusive cooling system combining vapor chamber technology with graphite sheets. The other iPhone 17 models will be cooled using only graphite sheets.
