This 12 months’s total iPhone 16 line-up bought 8GB RAM to run Apple Intelligence options, and it appears like we are able to count on 12GB in future fashions.
A earlier report prompt that iPhone 17 Professional Max would get 12GB, and it now seems that this can be true for each iPhone 18 Professional fashions …
8GB RAM is required for Apple Intelligence
It seems 8GB RAM is the minimal wanted to run Apple Intelligence options.
All 4 iPhone 16 fashions bought 8GB, in distinction with final 12 months’s fashions the place the usual and Plus fashions bought 6GB whereas the Professional and Professional Max bought 8GB. The latter are the one older iPhones to get entry to Apple Intelligence.
Future iPhones getting 12GB
Even earlier than the iPhone 16 launch, Ming-Chi Kuo prompt that the iPhone 17 Professional Max would get 12GB subsequent 12 months. He stated this is able to not be true of the small iPhone 17 Professional. If correct, this is able to be the primary time Apple has used RAM as a differentiator between the 2 Professional fashions.
Trying additional forward, Weibo person Cell phone chip skilled stories that a minimum of one iPhone 18 mannequin will swap to a brand new and denser chip packaging technique, and that this would come with 12GB RAM.
The 2nm processor A20 of the 2026 Apple iPhone will undertake a brand new packaging technique. APTS has been modified from the unique InFo to the WMCM packaging technique. Reminiscence may also be upgraded to 12GB, and the entire community will probably be introduced 2 years upfront.
Apple chipmaker TSMC has led the way in which in System-on-a-Chip (SoC) expertise. As a substitute of utilizing separate chip packages for CPU, GPU, RAM and so forth, all of those chips are built-in right into a single unit. A variation on this theme is named a multi-chip module (MCM), with TSMC anticipated to be first to launch probably the most superior type in a 2nm chip in 2026.
Cell phone chip skilled says that we are able to count on this newest tech to debut within the iPhone 18 line-up, with 12GB RAM a part of the package deal. The leaker has a good observe report, being the primary to report that the A16 chip could be unique to the 2 iPhone 14 Professional fashions, and that Apple was creating its personal 3nm chips for its AI servers.
Seemingly each iPhone 18 Professional fashions will get 12GB
It’s unclear from the unique report which 2026 fashions will get the RAM enhance. Nonetheless, Kuo has beforehand prompt that the 2nm course of wanted for the brand new packaging method will probably be restricted to the 2 Professional fashions, suggesting we are able to count on each to get the 12GB RAM.
Nonetheless, this doesn’t rule out the opportunity of the non-Professional fashions additionally getting 12GB RAM of their in any other case less-advanced chips.
Pictures: Lumafield/iFixit
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