Kuo: iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Be Only iPhone With 12GB RAM
Credit: iPhone One Concept (Tech Lauv / Instagram)Toggle Dark Mode
On Tuesday, noted leaker “Phone Chip Expert” claimed Apple’s 2025 iPhone 17 lineup will be equipped with 12 GB of RAM for more advanced on-device Apple Intelligence applications. However, Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t agree with that prediction, and he says that the 12 GB RAM upgrade will be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
In a Wednesday Weibo post, Chinese-language user “Phone Chip Expert” claimed next year’s iPhone 17 models will be equipped with 12 GB of RAM to allow for more advanced on-device Apple Intelligence applications.
Phone Chip Expert’s Weibo post, via Google Translate:
If you want to change to an AI iPhone, maybe the iPhone 17 in 2025 is the best choice. This year’s i16 has only 8GB of memory, which is mainly used for cloud AI. Next year’s i17 will have 12GB of memory and more edge AI applications. For reference for those who want to change iPhones with limited budgets, of course, the rich don’t need to consider it. ???
The reference to “Edge AI” in the Weibo post refers to Artificial Intelligence processing that is performed locally on the iPhone rather than relying on cloud servers to perform the processing.
However, if Kuo is correct, the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 “Slim,” and iPhone 17 Pro will be equipped only with 8 GB of RAM, which is the same amount of RAM that is expected to be in the entire iPhone 16 lineup this year. Apple’s fourth-generation iPhone SE, likely to hit store shelves in early 2025, is also expected to have 8GB of RAM.
iOS 18’s Apple Intelligence features are the reason for the increased interest in the upcoming iPhone lineup’s amount of RAM, as 8 GB appears to be the minimum amount of RAM needed for Apple Intelligence. Currently, only the two high-end iPhone 15 handsets, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, will support AI in iOS 18. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have only 6 GB of RAM and an older A16 Bionic chip, although most analysts believe the RAM is the critical factor holding them back.
While 8 GB of RAM may be the minimum amount of RAM needed to handle Apple Intelligence, an iPhone with 12 GB would offer more processing elbow room to run Apple’s AI features better. That means iPhone 17 buyers would need to spring for an iPhone 17 Pro Max next year to get the most out of Apple’s current and upcoming AI features.
Kuo also mentioned that in addition to the increased RAM, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be the only iPhone 17 handset equipped with an exclusive cooling system that combines vapor chamber technology with graphite sheets. Meanwhile, the other iPhone 17 models will be cooled solely with graphite sheets.
We won’t know who is right or wrong until Apple debuts the iPhone 17 lineup, most likely in September 2025.
I will say that “Phone Chip Expert” has a fairly accurate track record for predictions like these. For example, the leaker was the first to reveal that standard iPhone 14 models would continue to be equipped with the A15 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models would boast the more advanced A16 chip. However, Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also been a reasonably accurate source of Apple-related rumors for years due to his connections in the Apple supply chain.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
