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iPhone 18 With 9GB RAM Still Won't Support Two New iOS 27 Features
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Unity451
macrumors 65816
hovscorpion12
macrumors 68040
This is incorrect. Google's minimum RAM requirement depends on the specific platform. For mobile devices, Google's advanced Gemini Intelligence tier currently requires a flagship processor and a minimum of 12GB of RAM.
For running full-scale, open-source AI models locally on a desktop PC, 24GB is closer to the recommended sweet spot rather than the bare minimum.
Astuces iOS
macrumors 68030
thejadedmonkey
macrumors G3
I'm particularly psyched with all of the AI that my iPad Mini 7 has so far. I regret that upgrade immensely, as it has essentially been a $250 upgrade to give my pen "Find My" support. Such a waste.
JPack
macrumors P6
There shouldn’t be the expectation the base model iPhone run the pro AI models. Even when RAM supply wasn’t as tight, only Pro Max was expected to get 12GB.
AI is the new camera feature and back then, people didn't expect the mainstream models to get the Pro camera features either.
AI is the new camera feature and back then, people didn't expect the mainstream models to get the Pro camera features either.
The base iPhone 18 is basically an 18e at this point especially when there is 12GB ram on the iPhone Air 2 which will flop badly like the original Air. Sales will drop significantly for the best selling iPhone model.
StellarVixen
macrumors 68040
RAM by a teaspoon. If you can wait one more year, the 19 might even have 9.5GB of RAM!!!
JPack
macrumors P6
I doubt large % of the buyers will understand or care about local LLMs, RAM, or whether voice recognition is based on multimodal transformer architecture. For most, it is "supports AI, has Siri".
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JPack
macrumors P6
I guess if you disregard the obvious differences like display size, display refresh, front and rear cameras, and battery life.
Consumers buy the Pro/Max exactly because of those differences. They're not going to gloss over those differences when it comes to 18 vs. 18e.
In the next year, we are going to find out how elastic the demand is for iPhones and other Apple devices, as the price pressures continue. Again, thanks A.I.!
Micron locked in a deal with 16 companies for RAM, which likely includes Apple, in a deal that goes until 2030.
You are in the midst of a new, albeit unwanted, normal.
MPclk2006
macrumors 6502a
Phone hasn't come out and is already outdated...lol.
The lower-end iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will be equipped with 9GB of RAM, up from 8GB in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a social media post, Kuo said the 1GB increase in RAM will ensure that Apple Intelligence features continue to run smoothly on the pair of devices.
The higher-end iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable "iPhone Ultra" will each have the same 12GB of RAM as the iPhone 17 Pro models, added Kuo.
Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Ultra in September this year, while the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and a second-generation iPhone Air will reportedly be released around March 2027.
Even with an increased 9GB of RAM, two new Apple Intelligence features coming with iOS 27 will not be available on the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e, including the ability to customize the expressiveness and pace of Siri's voice and a "major boost in accuracy" for speech-to-text dictation. This is because the latest advanced on-device Apple Intelligence model powering those two features requires a minimum of 12GB of RAM.
Here are the confirmed RAM amounts for the iPhone 17 series:
The rumored RAM amounts for the iPhone 18 series and iPhone Ultra:
- iPhone 17e: 8GB
- iPhone 17: 8GB
- iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 12GB
The second-generation iPhone Air will presumably have 12GB of RAM, too.
- iPhone 18e: 9GB
- iPhone 18: 9GB
- iPhone 18 Pro: 12GB
- iPhone 18 Pro Max: 12GB
- iPhone Ultra: 12GB
RAM and NAND storage chips are currently expensive due to a supply shortage, resulting in Apple raising prices on more than a dozen products last month. For now, iPhones avoided price increases, but analysts have estimated that the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e could cost $100 to $200 more than the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e.
Article Link: iPhone 18 With 9GB RAM Still Won't Support Two New iOS 27 Features
I remember when Apple would do that but for the previous generation or 2 generations back (this new feature won't work on iPhone that came out 2 years ago)....now their latest phone doesn't support their latest features.
963852741
Suspended
Reminds of Mac Pro. Anything Apple released was couple generations behind even prior release.
Why can’t Apple 🍎 make their own memory ram in house like their trying to do with all their other iPhone component parts to make things cheaper?
NightFox
macrumors 68040
I think people learned to stop choosing their phone spec based on Apple AI/Siri features* several years ago
*Coming soon
staypuftforums
macrumors 6502a
A price hike on the 18e would be ridiculous. The e series is already way overpriced.
JPack
macrumors P6
Because it's a commodity product and a complex, risky business that doesn't always generate profits. Apple would have to dump billions into their fabs each year to sustain and keep up with the latest process tech.
Everyone in the industry (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, CXMT) is dumping money to expansions and there is a possibility of excess supply in 2030. If things change, e.g. supply constraints beyond 2030, Apple might consider doing their own fab.
staypuftforums
macrumors 6502a
Yup. This is the new normal for the rest of the 2020s.
The 2030s are going to be insane though. Not sure if insanely good or insanely bad. I could see nearly all consumer goods being nearly free, or the end of western civilization. I wouldn't be too surprised by either outcome.
staypuftforums
macrumors 6502a
The alternative is to hold back features for multiple years. And I don't think that would be a good strategy. Things are just moving so fast right now and all the tech companies are trying to keep up.
