Apple’s 2025 iPhones could sport as much as 12GB RAM for more on-device AI features. A new leak from China claims Apple will equip the iPhone 17 with 12GB RAM.
Rumors indicate the iPhone 16 lineup will stick with the same 8GB RAM as Apple’s current iPhone 15 Pro series.
Apple will not bump the RAM on its iPhones before 2025
Unlike Android manufacturers, Apple is stingy about equipping iPhones with more RAM. In 2023, it bumped the RAM by 2GB on the iPhone 15 Pro to 8GB for better performance. This is despite almost all flagship Android phones shipping with nearly twice the RAM, ranging from 12GB to 16GB. This year, Google bumped the RAM on its flagship Pixel 9 phone to 16GB to run on-device AI tasks smoothly.
Despite the introduction of Apple Intelligence, rumors suggest Apple will not bump the RAM on the iPhone 16 Pro. So, like their predecessor, they will ship with 8GB RAM as well.
In a Weibo post, a leaker from China with a reliable track record claims the company will bump the RAM to 12GB on its 2025 iPhone. This will help power more on-device AI features, unlike the iPhone 16 series, where many Apple Intelligence features will run on the cloud.
On-device Apple Intelligence processing requires a lot of RAM
RAM is likely one of the reasons why Apple is not bringing Apple Intelligence to the non-Pro iPhone 15. Unlike their more expensive siblings, they only ship with 6GB RAM. This also explains why rumors say the entire iPhone 16 lineup will ship with 8GB RAM as standard. The upcoming iPhone SE 4, due to launch in H1 2025, should also ship with 8GB RAM as standard.
Jeff Pu, a Haitong International Securities analyst, also previously claimed that the iPhone 17 would ship with 12GB RAM as standard. The additional RAM should help with multitasking and smoother system operation, as well as on-device AI tasks.
