iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature 12GB RAM for Enhanced AI Capabilities

iPhone 17 Pro again rumored to feature 12GB RAM for better AI

Apple Intelligence has raised the bar when it comes to RAM requirements as AI-based features require a device with at least 8GB of RAM. With Apple working to expand the capabilities of Apple Intelligence even further, the company is now rumored to put 12GB of RAM in the iPhone 17 Pro models. Rumors about some of this year's iPhone models having 12GB of RAM are not new. In fact, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted the RAM increase for the 17 Pro lineup in August last year after Apple announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024. However, it's now becoming clearer that this year's iPhones will get another RAM upgrade. In a note to investors seen by 9to5Mac, analyst Jeff Pu of GFHK Tech Research corroborates the rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max having 12GB of RAM, compared to 8GB in the current models. According to the analyst, the increased demand for AI capabilities has pushed PC and smartphone manufacturers to upgrade the RAM in their devices. "Meanwhile iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to migrate to LPDDR5 12GB, this transition alone will contribute to a 3.5% YoYincrease in smartphone DRAM content across an estimated 100 million new iPhone units," the analist said. In 2023, only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max were equipped with 8GB of RAM, while the non-Pro models only have 6GB of RAM. Last year, Apple put 8GB of RAM in the base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models. As a result, Apple Intelligence is only available for iPhone 15 Pro and later. The recently announced iPhone 16e also has 8GB RAM and support for Apple Intelligence. While the RAM increase will certainly make the iPhone 17 Pro more future-proof, it also hints at new Apple Intelligence features that may require even more RAM, and consequently will only be available on these iPhone models. For instance, Apple last year updated its entire Mac lineup - including the old M2 MacBook Air - with 16GB of RAM. Based on recent rumors, the entire iPhone 17 lineup will come with major design changes. The devices are expected to feature a new camera layout and video features that will make them more appealing for vlogging. Apple is also rumored to introduce a new ultra-slim iPhone that will sit between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, possibly replacing the current Plus model. The new iPhones are likely to be announced in September.

iPhone 17 Pro Models To Be Equipped With LPDDR5 12GB Of RAM, As Apple May Be Planning A Major Apple Intelligence Push This Year

Apple upgraded its entire iPhone 16 lineup to 8GB of RAM, and it had a solid reason to do so. Apple Intelligence has some hardware requirements to be compatible with it, and this is why older models do not support Apple's AI features. Apple even upgraded the RAM to 8GB on its "so-called" budget iPhone 16e for the same reason. It is now being reported that Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will be equipped with 12GB of RAM, a major step up from 8GB on the iPhone 16 Pro models. In a new research note obtained by 9to5mac, prominent industry analyst Jeff Pu claims that the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature 12GB of RAM, compared to 8GB on the current flagships. The analyst states that the reason why Apple wants to upgrade the RAM is to push its AI efforts a step further. Apple is not the only company pushing itself towards higher RAM as its competitors and PC manufacturers are also inclined to follow the same route. The analyst states: "Meanwhile iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to migrate to LPDDR5 12GB, this transition alone will contribute to a 3.5% YoYincrease in smartphone DRAM content across an estimated 100 million new iPhone units." Apple jumped on the 8GB of RAM with the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro models and it became the stepping stone for Apple Intelligence compatibility. Since the standard models housed only 6GB of RAM, the devices are now dormant when it comes to Apple Intelligence despite being only a year old. In comparison, the iPhone 16e is far more capable as it is the cheapest iPhone to support Apple's AI features. However, all iPhone 16 models feature 8GB of RAM, and Apple Intelligence is the only reason why the company made the jump. It remains to be seen what sort of features Apple has in mind, which is pushing it to upgrade the RAM count on the iPhone 17 Pro models. Considering Apple does give the 'Pro' models special treatment, would the standard models still get the higher-end features? It remains to be seen if the company will segregate the Apple Intelligence features, orienting them towards standard and 'Pro' users. Apart from Apple Intelligence, 12GB of RAM on the iPhone 17 Pro models would also allow it to be better at multitasking, overall impacting the performance of the device. This is the third time that we have heard details about the higher RAM count for the iPhone 17 Pro models, which means that the news could be credible beyond the plain rumors. Do you think all iPhone 17 models will house 12GB of RAM?

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

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.

The iPhone 17 Pro could come with 12GB of RAM to help it power though AI tasks

The rumored iPhone 17 Pro could get a RAM boost, and the next phone is tipped to sport 12GB of random access memory by GFHK Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu. In an investors note seen by 9to5Mac, Pu corroborated rumors flagged last year by analyst and pseudo-Apple oracle Ming-Chi Kuo that the next-generation Pro iPhone models will get a decent upgrade from the 8GB of RAM the current iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max use. "Meanwhile iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to migrate to LPDDR5 12GB, this transition alone will contribute to a 3.5% YoY increase in smartphone DRAM content across an estimated 100 million new iPhone units," Pu said. Now, in my time with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, with its current suite of 8GB RAM and the fast A18 Bionic chip, I hardly find it to be slow; apps load quickly and the whole iOS experience feels very slick and smooth. However, more RAM is one way to future-proof next-gen Pro phones, as artificial intelligence features, Apple Intelligence here, tend to require a healthy pool of RAM, especially if they run AI tasks on-device rather than tap into the cloud. 9to5mac observed that such a boost in RAM for AI purposes was also part of Apple's Mac lineup update. Today's new Mac computers come with 16GB of RAM as a minimum. So, this note by Pu and Kuo's original claim all make sense. While upping the RAM of the future iPhone is promising to ensure they have a degree of longevity amid the yearly releases of flagship phones, my hope is Apple uses this extra power to also introduce some impressive and smart new AI features to the next Pro iPhones. Right now, Apple Intelligence has some solid features but none feel like groundbreaking, must-use tools. Just spitballing, I'd love to see Apple Intelligence use both iPhone cameras and Apple Watch data to propose custom workouts for me to bust my gut and get in trimmer shape. Instead, Apple Intelligence has me stuck with being able to rework the tone of emails and messages, or squash two emojis together to create some new abomination... sigh.

iPhone 17 Pro Max again tipped for RAM increase -- and it's probably to do with AI

In recent years, Apple has dramatically closed the gap between the regular and Pro models. The differences are now so minor, in fact, that in our iPhone 16 review, we described the handset as "a Pro in disguise". And with the upcoming iPhone 17 rumored to get a 120Hz refresh rate for the first time, the differentiation between this year's models could be even more blurred. The analyst Jeff Pu believes there will be at least one key difference, however. In a note to investors seen by 9to5Mac, the GFHK Tech Research analyst says that both iPhone 17 Pro models will get an extra 4GB RAM on their predecessors, taking them to 12GB each. "Meanwhile iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to migrate to LPDDR5 12GB, this transition alone will contribute to a 3.5% YoY increase in smartphone DRAM content across an estimated 100 million new iPhone units," Pu writes. This is actually Pu doubling down on an earlier prediction. He wrote that this year's iPhone would be getting a 12GB upgrade last August, before 2024's models were even released. According to the site, the rationale for this year's upgrade is all down to AI performance, with Apple Intelligence likely to have growing demands over time. Even if next year's regular iPhones have AI-feature parity with the Pro models, this would potentially allow the iPhone 17 Pro forward compatibility with the Apple Intelligence requirements of the iPhone 18 or 19, while the regular model might have to pass. If a RAM upgrade is on the cards, and it's for AI-related reasons, it wouldn't be the first time for Apple. With the release of last year's iPhone 16 family, Apple took the rare step of not only confirming the internal RAM specs of each model, but revealing that it was to ensure each phone could comfortably run Apple Intelligence. "Apple Intelligence was a major feature that led us to believe that we need to get to 8GB," explained Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware and Technologies, Johny Srouji, at the time. "Having said that, the 8GB is going to help immensely among other applications, including gaming, high-end gaming, AAA-titled games, and high-end gaming on device." The same will be true of the jump to 12GB -- albeit likely less noticeable with today's applications -- but there seems to be some dispute over which models will get the upgrade. Just days after Pu's initial 12GB prediction last August, another analyst -- Ming-Chi Kuo -- stated that 12GB RAM would be exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That would potentially upsell some buyers towards the larger Pro Max model, but there's only so much such a tactic can do: some people just don't want a 6.9-inch phone stretching their pockets out. We still have some time to go before the full specs of the iPhone 17 are officially confirmed. While Apple just announced the iPhone 16e this month, for over a decade the full numbered releases have almost exclusively come in September -- with only a pandemic-related delay of one month in 2020 breaking the pattern.