iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB RAM Rumor Gets Third Confirmation From Analyst

[MacRumors]

Will the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models come with 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB in the iPhone 16 Pro? Jeff Pu of GFHK Tech Research certainly thinks so.

According to the latest note from the analyst seen by 9to5Mac, both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature 12GB of RAM that will enable the devices to outperform the other models in the lineup in terms of AI capabilities.

"Meanwhile iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to migrate to LPDDR5 12GB," Pu said in the note." This transition alone will contribute to a 3.5% YoY increase in smartphone DRAM content across an estimated 100 million new iPhone units."

This is the third time Pu has predicted increased memory for Apple's forthcoming premium devices. Pu said as much back in May 2024, before industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo chimed in with his own take. In August, Kuo claimed that the upgrade would be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Unfazed, Pu hit back in October by doubling down on his original claim. This increase in memory, he said, would contribute to improved performance for Apple Intelligence and multitasking. He also sprinkled in some spice by repeating his prediction that the devices would feature a 48-megapixel Telephoto rear camera and a 24-megapixel front camera.

Pu has a good track record for Apple rumors, as does Kuo. Both analysts have sources within Apple's supply chain in Asia, so a Pu-Kuo rumor is likely to be at least half right. We'll have to wait and see.

Apple increased RAM across its entire iPhone 16 lineup last year, equipping even the base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models with 8GB of RAM – matching what was previously exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

This hardware upgrade expanded Apple Intelligence compatibility beyond just Pro models, as the AI feature requires at least 8GB of RAM to function. The recently released iPhone 16e continues this trend, and also features 8GB of RAM and full support for Apple Intelligence.

Whatever the RAM status of the iPhone 17 Pro models, we're expecting other big changes. Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to corroborated rumors.

The devices are also said to have an aluminum frame instead of titanium, a narrower Dynamic Island, an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, and more. For all the rumors we've heard so far, be sure to check our dedicated iPhone 17 Pro roundup. Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is expected to arrive around mid-September.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB RAM Rumor Gets Third Confirmation From Analyst

 

[Rhhk]

If the render is correct, even with the ugly bar across the back, the cameras still protrude, so the phone will still rock when on a flat table 🤦🏻‍♂️. Let’s hope it’s wrong!

 

[JohnLuke]

Unfortunately that back design is really ugly

 

[mclaren1444]

How about increasing the base storage capacity for once.

 

[cicalinarrot]

That notch reminds me of my uncle, he's tall, all the body is thin, protruding beer belly.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

The bar may be only about making the cameras seem to NOT be sticking so far out of the phone body. In other words, a visual illusion akin to some of the wedge concepts under Ive where the edges would be super-thin but the middles would fatten up to house the actual tech guts. Recall the one iMac and the MacBooks that created an illusion of “thinner” in this way.

• If triangle, then wobble (persists).
• If Pixel approach (no triangle), no more wobble… and probably improved spatial video capture.

 

[Lwii2boo]

12GB RAM would be great for longevity. But my god I think all the rumored designs for 17 Pro are ugly. Having a design change is welcome but this does not make sense

 

[MrRom92]

2TB storage tier is necessary

 

[Alwaysfindsaway]

Seriously am I the only person that thinks those renderings look absolutely gorgeous?? Why all the hate. I can’t wait to get that phone in my hands. I have an iPhone 16 Pro but will definitely be upgrading to get the 3 48MP cameras. Probably will have 8k video too. Very exciting! Take my money Apple… 😄

 

[Paddle1]

So the 17 Pro is going to have double the RAM of the previous gen 15 that had 6GB. AI has really sped things along.

 

[TechWhisperer]

Hopefully the new camera bar is a functional thing and not just change for the sake of change.

 

[Trausner]

8K video recording confirmed…! It better be there… with that pump it should be 16k… or maybe 1k per GB of RAM. I take 12k too.

 

[System603]

So, I guess that means Samsung will upgrade all their flagship models from the current 12GB to 16GB next year - not just the top-tier ones that already have 16GB - so they can give their marketing department something to work with and gain/hold an edge in on-device machine learning capabilities. /semijoke

 

[HouseLannister]

And yet Gurman says no devices getting dropped from iOS 19 compatibility, which means a bunch of 3 GB and 4 GB models still supported. Maybe iOS 20 goes to a minimum 6 GB spec?

 

[ghostface147]

That notch reminds me of my uncle, he's tall, all the body is thin, protruding beer belly.

Dang it, do we know each other?

 

[soyazul]

I am totally going for the 17 Pro Max / Ultra

 

[mattopotamus]

That doesn't seem surprising considering the 16e has 8gb.

 

[syklee26]

If More RAM means worse battery and minimal performance gain, then what for?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Probably will have 8k video too. Very exciting! Take my money Apple… 😄

8K video recording confirmed…! It better be there… with that pump it should be 16k… or maybe 1k per GB of RAM. I take 12k too.

iDevice 8K video recording has been rumored for 4 years now. Select Samsung phones could record 8K starting in 2020. So it seems about time for iPhone to finally catch up... ahem... I mean "invent" 8K recording in phones.

An interesting anecdote is that the next gen AppleTV is rumored to wait until the Fall. One possible reason why is so that it could pass through 8K video shot on the new phones to 8K TVs. As a huge fan of AppleTV, I feel no desire for a gen 4 version of yet another 4K model. But an 8K model would mean hardware upgrades inside robust enough to handle it... which would be great for all, including all who don't even have 8K TVs (yet). 8K video passed to an 8K AppleTV can downscale to 4K or 1080p for existing TVs just fine. Buyers would just have more capable hardware inside... much like building ray tracing capability into chips before there is even 1 game to take advantage of it or spatial video capture before anyone could buy Vpro to see it. All happy with "as is" could keep shooting as they do now (4K, 1080p, less). But others interested in maximum resolution could capture in MAX.

 

[contacos]

That design seems poorly thought out—why add a large black plate and not make it flush with the camera lens at least? Instead, the lenses protrude even more, which means it will still wobble one sided

 

[ab2c4]

Will the aluminum frame result in a significantly lighter 17 Pro vs the previous Pro models?

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

And yet Gurman says no devices getting dropped from iOS 19 compatibility, which means a bunch of 3 GB and 4 GB models still supported. Maybe iOS 20 goes to a minimum 6 GB spec?

Given that apple is still selling devices with 4 GB of RAM, that seems very unlikely.
iOS 20 might drop the remaining 3 GB of RAM devices, but that’s just the iPhone XR and the iPad 8 and 9.

Devices with four or 6 GB of RAM are still very much in the clear, most of those devices are still close to new.

 

[Trausner]

iDevice 8K video recording has been rumored for 4 years now. Select Samsung phones could record 8K starting in 2020. So it seems about time for iPhone to finally catch up... ahem... I mean "invent" 8K recording in phones.

An interesting anecdote is that the next gen AppleTV is rumored to wait until the Fall. One possible reason why is so that it could pass through 8K video shot on the new phones to 8K TVs. As a huge fan of AppleTV, I feel no desire for a gen 4 version of yet another 4K model. But an 8K model would mean hardware upgrades inside robust enough to handle it... which would be great for all, including all who don't even have 8K TVs (yet). 8K video passed to an 8K AppleTV can downscale to 4K or 1080p for existing TVs just fine. Buyers would just have more capable hardware inside... much like building ray tracing capability into chips before there is even 1 game to take advantage of it or spatial video capture before anyone could buy Vpro to see it. All happy with as is could keep shooting as they do now (4K, 1080p, less). But others interested in maximum resolution could capture in MAX.

Yea that makes sense. Im not in the market for an AppleTV Box but i hope with you for this to be true. I need 8K video recording to zoom into the video in post production. We do lots of interviews and documentary style shooting on the go and 8K recording and zooming in post, then 4k export, that would be a game changer for us.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

That design seems poorly thought out—why add a large black plate and not make it flush with the camera lens at least? Instead, the lenses protrude even more, which means it will still wobble one sided

I think it's about an illusion... such as being a little fat but going out with fatter friends: then you look skinny-est. No plate and lenses appear to hang WAY off the body. Add plate and a portion of the lenses blends into the body... like thickening the entire phone.

However, I'd still argue for Apple to go wedge design so that cameras could be flush on one (fatter) end and they get their "thinner" for Marketing "oooooooh, ahhhhhhhh" on the other end... taking direct inspiration from OG MBair.

 

[Belisama]

They always make iPhone bigger, with more RAM, more lenses, more buttons, more everything, and more expensive.
Do they have plans to make iPhone actually better ?

This 17 looks ugly to me. It's an old fart iPhone with multiple implants, grafts, transplants and botched plastic surgery. I miss the sleek, functional and straightforward iPhones.