Kuo: Next Year's Upgrade to 12GB RAM Will Be Limited to iPhone 17 Pro Max

[lewchenko]

You do realize 12 GB on an iPhone isn't going to necessarily run the same as 12 GB on an Android, right? The iPhone has always needed less RAM than Androids to function the same, if not better.

Heard this a lot but it’s not exactly true. Apple would have you believe that their memory is special, sprinkled with pixie dust .. but it’s not.

It’s all about how aggressive the OS pages your apps & stuff in memory to disk / storage & how they are recovered. This is noticed most say when you go back to a safari tab , and it has to reload the page. Android has its fair share of memory management issues too (Samsung is notorious for being too aggressive on app paging).

But nobody can deny the benefits of having more ram. Apple has hidden this spec from customers so they don’t have to compete with it , and ultimately give you less for your $.

Also , Large language AI models take up the same amount of space on both Apple and Android phones. A 3GB model will likely run say on the Pixel 9 Pro with its 16GB memory, but probably not on an iPhone with 8GB as not enough left.

And as iPhone 15 users will find out, … not enough RAM to run any local AI.

I doubt an 8GB phone will age well (AI in 4-5?years for example), and that is disappointing considering their Android competitors are now offering 16GB for the same or less money.

 

[CausticSoda]

Why do so many of you just assume a rumor is true and immediately start bashing Apple? It defies logic.

You just have to imagine each comment starts with' "If this rumour is true, then..."

In the same way, the readers recognise that when sentences like this appear in articles: "The other new iPhone models launching in 2025 will rely solely on graphite sheets for cooling," the writer really means to say, "Kuo also predicted that..."

In short, it hardly seems worth getting upset about what people write in the comments.

 

[lewchenko]

640Kb is enough for anyone said some silly person in the PC’s early days (and we all know how that turned out).

8GB is enough for anyone* says Apple in 2024! (Your reloading safari tabs may beg to differ!)

*unless you pay us a silly amount to upgrade it , or in the case of an iPhone rather than a Mac … sorry , no can do.

 

[FNanook]

The Apple way; milking the consummer…

 

[Premium1]

Lol gatekeeping ram is the most apple thing out there... And for those claiming "most don't care about ram" They will when apple arbitrarily decides to hold back features due to lack of ram on an otherwise capable device.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I first started noticing a difference (in ram use case) back in 2021 when I bought the M1 iPad Pro (5th generation) and it included 8 GB of ram for the first time (on any) iOS device:

M1 iPad Pro Offers 8GB or 16GB RAM Options for First Time, Based on Storage Capacity

Apple's M1 iPad Pro is available with either 8GB RAM or 16GB RAM, the most memory that's ever been made available in an iPad model. iPad...

www.macrumors.com

Going from the 6 GB (that I had been accustomed to) on the iPhone 13 Pro that I was using (and still use as my main iPhone) to 8 GB of ram made a noticeable difference (in my use case/typical apps that I use) and I noticed that a lot of my essential apps would stay in memory starting with the M1 iPad Pro

This benefit (of 8 GB of ram) was soon after made available on the iPhone 15 Pro - the first iPhone to have 8 GB of ram:

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max Feature Increased 8GB of RAM

Apple never publicly advertises the amount of RAM included in iPhones, but MacRumors has confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are...

www.macrumors.com

I purchased the iPhone 15 Pro Max (last October) to use as my secondary phone (primary iPhone for taking pictures/video) and all of the benefits of 8GB of ram was very noticeable on this iPhone (just like it was on my M1 iPad Pro)

I still use my iPhone 13 Pro as my main phone because I prefer that size of a screen (over the Max version) and my plan is to finally upgrade my 13 Pro to the $999 base model 16 Pro (once Apple releases it next month) and I’m looking forward to having my last (of 3) iOS devices to still have 6 GB of ram, finally switched over to 8 GB of ram so that I can have all of the apps that I use on a daily basis be able to stay in memory and not be cleared out (because of lack of available ram)

For me, 8 GB seems to be the sweet spot (for noticeable difference) and any increases from that (12 GB as the rumors of the iPhone 17 Pro Max are mentioning) may or may not be noticeably beneficial (in my use case) but we’ll have to wait and see as it seems that modern apps are using an ever more amount of memory as more features become available etc.

 

[ThailandToo]

Please do tell us three things you're unable to do your phone today due to insufficient RAM.

We're waiting.

Meanwhile, Apple has been smart to not be overzealous with too much RAM headroom. Apps would suck it up like sponges and it would be no better. Having a lower headroom forces developers to optimize apps.

Haha! How about have apps not crash due to ram insufficiency! Or everything reloading. Or Apple Intelligence not working for anything with less than 8GB ram now and next year it will be 12GB minimum for new features. They will make all the MacBooks they sold for years obsolete in a day.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

If iPhone plus didn’t sell well, why is Apple making iPhone “slim?” Makes no sense.

Because they're stupid. Just making up tiers for no reason to sell garbage to customers.

Only iPhone they should be selling is the Pro models in two screen sizes and that's it with a dropped price.

 

[AlexJaye]

They offer this: The ecosystem/iCloud syncing.

For this reason, and this reason alone, I will remain in the iPhone camp.

Because I'm never, ever, ever ever ever, giving up my iPad nor Mac for Windows.

Never.

That's the main thing that still keeps me in the Apple wagon... not their main products that they rip people off on. But my next phone no longer HAS to be an iPhone in my mind. And it definitely won't be one of these skimped devices coming this year.

 

[Apple_Robert]

You just have to imagine each comment starts with' "If this rumour is true, then..."

In the same way, the readers recognise that when sentences like this appear in articles: "The other new iPhone models launching in 2025 will rely solely on graphite sheets for cooling," the writer really means to say, "Kuo also predicted that..."

In short, it hardly seems worth getting upset about what people write in the comments.

I wasn’t upset when I made the comment. I just think it is foolish to post negative comments towards Apple involving a mere rumor over a year away.

 

[wbeasley]

The Apple way; milking the consummer…

You don’t have to buy it you know…

 

[svish]

More RAM is always good. Looks like it will be another year where Pro and Pro Max will be different

 

[UliBaer]

You don’t have to buy it you know…

🍭

 

[Tomasulu]

That's the main thing that still keeps me in the Apple wagon... not their main products that they rip people off on. But my next phone no longer HAS to be an iPhone in my mind. And it definitely won't be one of these skimped devices coming this year.

Same here! I’ll keep using Macs and MacBooks but will change out the rest of my apple products to get rid of the iPhone. Ive replaced the HomePods with a Sonos soundbar system. I’ll replace the HomePods mini, iPads, AirPods Pro, Apple Watch, Apple TV, etc. eventually with non Apple products. And after that it will be back to android for the first time in over 10 years. It’s regrettable because the rest of the Apple products are actually pretty good. But the iPhone is just not offering sufficient innovation and value for my money.

 

[HVDynamo]

If iPhone plus didn’t sell well, why is Apple making iPhone “slim?” Makes no sense.

Honestly, with the smaller market it's probably not a bad idea for them to rotate different preferences through for that model. Do a mini for a bit, then the Plus, then a slim. Since most people don't upgrade every year, this would allow them to just align their upgrade cycle with one that gives them what they want. That would help them capture more of the preferences without always catering to just one preference. I wonder if a mini will come back around after the slim has had a year or two.

 

[nick42983]

Are they just going to keep numbering them forever… the iMac is not called iMac 7 the iPad isn’t iPad 10 it’s iMac (M3) or iPad (10th get) yet the iPhone keeps going up in numbers it should be iPhone (2024) or (gen 16) or whatever

They've been doing it since the 3G (the first one was just iPhone and there was no iPhone 2) and it works like a charm so it makes sense to keep going, it's the heart of their entire brand. Using the year instead would add an automatic stigma of "old" to any phone from an earlier year, 'iPhone gen 16' doesn't roll off the tongue either like just 'iPhone 16'.

 

[Gotword]

Oh, iPhone 15 and 15 Plus owners are going to care about that pretty soon, when they realize their months-old phones can’t run Apple Intelligence.

Majority of people do not care nor want ai features, this is like for people who actually keep predicted text on keyboard on which is few

 

[Tagbert]

These micro evolutions every year are getting really tiresome.

Which is exactly what I’ve said every year for the last 5 as I’ve handed over my card to the cashier. 😆

And you’ve identified the source of the problem. if you wait 2, 3, or 4 years between, the upgrades add up and you get a lot of improvements.

 

[Downhilltenago]

But iPhone 18 sure will have 12GB RAM, right Kuo?
And 19PM will go with 16GB and 4TB storage!
So 17 is a no go already

It’s so silly right? And there were people in here trying to justify after the initial rumors, saying the 16 models would be gimped and no need to buy them. Upgrade when you are ready. If you are waiting on the latest and greatest then keep waiting for forever. 🤦🏾‍♂️

 

[nfl46]

You know things have gotten bad when one of the few "upgrades" you have to look forward to is a smaller dynamic island.

Well, to be fair, it’s not like other US smartphone manufacturers are innovating. Lol. Everyone has been playing it safe for years. You know it’s bad when Samsung is constantly releasing minor upgrades to their S and Fold series.

 

[CatalinApple]

It’s so silly right? And there were people in here trying to justify after the initial rumors, saying the 16 models would be gimped and no need to buy them. Upgrade when you are ready. If you are waiting on the latest and greatest then keep waiting for forever. 🤦🏾‍♂️

That's true and I agree with you! A buyer can always say "I'll buy it next year to future proof it." This next year can begin and never end because there's always going to be something better and everyone should upgrade when they are ready just like you said. In my opinion It's stupid postpone buying what you like because life's too short to not take advantage of it and enjoy it.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Just put 12gig in this years phones …


No reason to wait a year

No reason? For the buyer, surely not.

But for Apple and its shareholders there are plenty of reasons, mainly increased profits from savings and higher annual revenue from buyers feeling a stronger push to upgrade.

Also, why give iPhone buyers "everything" today if Apple can instead trickle a little bit of "everything" out over a few years and turn it into several reasons to upgrade, one for each subsequent release?

No business that sells products as high in demand as Apple have to impress with mighty market-leading specs or innovative designs.

We all still buy to many iPhones that why can't stop price gauging and getting away with it.

Stop upgrading so often and Apple will offer more value/$.

 

[RSB96]

I think it's a very bad decision to differentiate the Pro and Pro Max (I always want to go back to the Pro model, but when I have to renew, in the Pro Max they put something exclusive to the camera, which in the end is something I value a lot in the mobile).

As for RAM, there is never too much, but I find that iOS and iPadOS fall far short when it comes to RAM management and multitasking. With the RAM that the devices have today, they could do much more, but they don't because.... Apple doesn't want them to.

The non-existence of a clipboard (something that Android has since... always and that you can easily access from the keyboard), that if you are sending photos as a file (which in my case can weigh between 20/70MB) by Telegram, for example, you have to keep the device inside the app and turned on because otherwise the app “freezes” and stops sending files, something that does not happen in Android, and other things related to multitasking (here I make an aside that iPadOS should manage multitasking much better and allow much more freedom to the system to do simultaneous things) that in the day to day I see absurd to happen today, seeing that the competition does it and nothing unusual happens.

 

[JippaLippa]

That's bull...
The Pro Max is too big, but it'd feel pretty bad to spend a lot on a 17 Pro, only to have 4GB less Ram.

 

[iMac The Knife]

Well, to be fair, it’s not like other US smartphone manufacturers are innovating. Lol. Everyone has been playing it safe for years. You know it’s bad when Samsung is constantly releasing minor upgrades to their S and Fold series.

Google has not only released a book style foldable, they've completely redesigned it (nearly) from the ground up from the 1st to 2nd gen. That's innovation.