iPhone 18 Could Come With 12GB of RAM

[MacRumors]

Apple's standard iPhone 18 could feature 12GB of memory for the first time, according to analyst Dan Nystedt.

In a new post on X, Nystedt said that the standard iPhone 18 will match the 12GB of RAM Apple gave the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max last September. It would mark the first time the entry-level iPhone model has shipped with that much memory.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2047483119075532801

Nystedt also flagged an earlier rumor claiming that Apple has secured TSMC's first 2nm chip production run for the A20 chip set to power the iPhone 18 lineup. According to that report, TSMC's 2nm process delivers 15% better computing performance than 3nm, with no loss in power efficiency. The iPhone 17 series uses TSMC's N3P 3nm node.

The jump to 12GB of RAM on the base model is likely tied to Apple Intelligence. Apple is expected to introduce expanded AI features with iOS 27, which the company is set to announce at WWDC on June 8. On-device AI workloads are memory-intensive, and keeping the entry-level iPhone capable of running Apple Intelligence in full would give Apple reason to push the standard model's memory up to par with last year's Pro tier.

The iPhone 18 is not expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro this fall. Apple is reportedly planning to delay the standard model until early 2027, alongside the iPhone 18e and a second-generation iPhone Air, while the Pro models and the long-anticipated foldable iPhone will ship in the usual fall time frame.

Article Link: iPhone 18 Could Come With 12GB of RAM

 

[EugW]

This is not exactly a shocking prediction. I might have expected the 12 GB upgrade to wait for the iPhone 19, but it would definitely be a possibility for iPhone 18 as well just going by common sense expectations.

However, much more important to me is the MacBook Neo. It would benefit from 12 GB even more than the iPhone would.

 

[IMPOSSIBLEMAN]

Tired of the Apple RAM management nonsense. My iPhone 17 Pro reloads apps All the time. Sometimes I just exit to check an SMS and voila the previous app reloads. Need more RAM 12GB is not enough.

 

[mikethebigo]

I doubt many companies are making 4 GB modules at this point.

 

[HouseLannister]

And yet iOS 27 will still run on 4GB RAM?

 

[kemal]

No wonder they need to cut corners elsewhere on the standard 18.

 

[arthurgd3]

Tired of the Apple RAM management nonsense. My iPhone 17 Pro reloads apps All the time. Sometimes I just exit to check an SMS and voila the previous app reloads. Need more RAM 12GB is not enough.

On the last 2 generations of Pixel Pro phones, 4 of the 16GB of RAM is allocated to AI tasks and as far as I know not accessible by anything else. If Gemini is going to be the main AI agent in use by Siri in iOS 27 and Apple's insistance on doing as much on-device AI as possible, they are going to need that 12GB of RAM. Curious now if the Pro phones will get 16GB.

 

[IIGS User]

“The increase in ram may be tied to Apple Intelligence”.

Well then, too bad it won’t get used for anything.

 

[cjsuk]

Not in this financial climate it won’t.

 

[Icehawk]

Look. It's crazy out there. I can either buy a house or a graphics card. Not both. How are we gonna afford a whole 12 gb of ram in a phone? I can't afford a private island. 😛

 

[jz0309]

This is not exactly a shocking prediction. I might have expected the 12 GB upgrade to wait for the iPhone 19, but it would definitely be a possibility for iPhone 18 as well just going by common sense expectations.

However, much more important to me is the MacBook Neo. It would benefit from 12 GB even more than the iPhone would.

my 17PM has 12GB RAM, and obviously my MB Neo has 8GB, in my day-to-day use of both devices - I can't tell any difference ...

 

[Paddle1]

The jump to 12GB of RAM on the base model is likely tied to Apple Intelligence.

Funny considering the iPhone 16 was "built for Apple Intelligence" with 8GB of RAM and nothing to show for it as of yet.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

my 17PM has 12GB RAM, and obviously my MB Neo has 8GB, in my day-to-day use of both devices - I can't tell any difference ...

Do some work on FinalCut or Ableton or compile some project builds and you will insta throw your NEO from the Window

 

[platinumaqua]

Tired of the Apple RAM management nonsense. My iPhone 17 Pro reloads apps All the time. Sometimes I just exit to check an SMS and voila the previous app reloads. Need more RAM 12GB is not enough.

My iPad Pro M1 has always reloaded apps since day 1, and that was when it had the most RAM (8GB) out of any Apple mobile products.

 

[EugW]

my 17PM has 12GB RAM, and obviously my MB Neo has 8GB, in my day-to-day use of both devices - I can't tell any difference ...

I noticed lag on the Neo just by navigating around macOS with a few apps in the background. I usually don't notice the same lag on our 16 GB M4 MacBook Air and never on our 24 GB M4 Mac mini.

Funny considering the iPhone 16 was "built for Apple Intelligence" with 8GB of RAM and nothing to show for it as of yet.

The number one reason I got the 16e over the 15 was for the Photos Cleanup feature, which requires partial AI support and thus 8 GB RAM.

 

[snow755]

I doubt many companies are making 4 GB modules at this point.

the samsung A17 wish runs off of 4gb of ram would like a word with you

 

[drunkaviator]

Tired of the Apple RAM management nonsense. My iPhone 17 Pro reloads apps All the time. Sometimes I just exit to check an SMS and voila the previous app reloads. Need more RAM 12GB is not enough.

I've literally noticed the opposite, apps stay open without refreshing for hours. 12GB of Ram is way enough for general multi-app multitasking. I have 12 apps open on my MacBook right now, and tons of active windows. it's using 11GB of Ram...

 

[Populus]

I would be cautious with this rumor. Maybe the leaker was referring to the iPhone 18 Pro and mistakenly omitted the Pro on the tweet. Xeet. Whatever.

 

[EugW]

I would be cautious with this rumor. Maybe the leaker was referring to the iPhone 18 Pro and mistakenly omitted the Pro on the tweet. Xeet. Whatever.

Nah, the 17 Pro already comes with 12 GB RAM so that seems like an unlikely explanation. It would be a surprise to absolutely nobody that the 18 Pro would come with 12 GB RAM. The real reason to be cautious is because the rumour may just be conjecture.

 

[mlayer]

If TSMC's 2 nm process is anything like the N3(B), there should be plenty of binned A20's for a 3rd gen Neo.

 

[jz0309]

Do some work on FinalCut or Ableton or compile some project builds and you will insta throw your NEO from the Window

and WHY would I do that on a Neo? if I need to do "heavy lifting", the Neo is not the right computer for me, should have gotten MBA or MBP. Personally, I do the "heavy lifting" on my Mac Studio

 

[jz0309]

I noticed lag on the Neo just by navigating around macOS with a few apps in the background. I usually don't notice the same lag on our 16 GB M4 MacBook Air and never on our 24 GB M4 Mac mini.

not noticing any lag on mine yet, I did launch LRC, imported 250 pics and also tried some (light) editing in PS, didn't notice any lag in those either ...

 

[EugW]

If TSMC's 2 nm process is anything like the N3(B), there should be plenty of binned A20's for a 3rd gen Neo.

Yields will improve over time, and the number of binned chips per wafer may decrease over time in parallel, but that doesn't matter since the Neo can just use non-binned chips if Apple wishes. They can just deactivate what they don't need in otherwise good chips.

The most recent hard evidence of Apple doing something like this is with the M4 iPad Pro. Some of those come with 12 GB physical RAM (seen in a teardown), but all of the non-16 GB versions show as 8 GB devices.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Expected.

 

[iHorseHead]

I noticed lag on the Neo just by navigating around macOS with a few apps in the background. I usually don't notice the same lag on our 16 GB M4 MacBook Air and never on our 24 GB M4 Mac mini.

I don't have any lag on my MBA M1 8GB of RAM. I even run Xcode on it and do regular things and honestly, I'll upgrade when macOS support ends. I'm not in a rush.
My iPad 9th gen has 3GB I think(?) and it works perfectly. I mostly draw on it and watch YouTube and HBO and play Tropico. It works perfectly, but I have to admit, my iPad mini 2 is better due to it's size and the screen is better.