The analyst believes this move could ensure smoother Apple Intelligence performance on iOS 27.
The iPhone 17 (pictured) is equipped with 8GB of RAM
Apple has been rumoured to rethink its iPhone launch strategy by introducing only the Pro models in September, while the standard variant is reserved for March next year. While the Cupertino-based tech giant has yet to confirm such plans, an analyst has suggested that the base iPhone 18 and the non-flagship iPhone 18e could ship with 9GB of RAM, which is a modest upgrade over the current iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e. The additional memory is said to help the devices handle Apple Intelligence features more smoothly under iOS 27.
In an X post, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple's standard iPhone 18 launching in the first half of 2027 will be equipped with 9GB of DRAM. This is also believed to apply to the iPhone 18e, which typically debuts around the same time. The analyst said that both purported handsets could be powered by Apple's A20 SoC. It is likely to be fabricated using TSMC's 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process, potentially delivering performance and efficiency improvements.
iOS 27 will bring tighter system-level integration with Apple Intelligence. My latest industry checks suggest Apple's lower-end 1H27 iPhones, powered by the A20 chip, will move to 9GB DRAM (1.5GB × 6 dies), up from 8GB (2GB × 4 dies) in the current A19 models, to keep the system…
— 郭明錤｜Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo) June 26, 2026As per Kuo, the iPhone models could be equipped with an unusual memory configuration comprising six 1.5GB DRAM dies. This is said to differ from the current-generation iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e, which have been reported to leverage four 2GB memory chips for a total of 8GB of RAM.
While the increase is modest, the analyst believes this move could ensure smoother Apple Intelligence performance on iOS 27.
On the other hand, Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are likely to continue to ship with 12GB of RAM. The first-ever foldable iPhone, widely known as the iPhone Ultra, is also expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 lineup, and may get 12GB of RAM, too. All three handsets could use eight 1.5GB memory dies alongside the A20 Pro chipset.
The latest leak comes amid changes to Apple's AI hardware requirements. With iOS 27, Apple introduced its most advanced on-device AI model to date. However, the tech giant emphasised that it requires a minimum of 12GB of unified memory. As a result, the model is currently limited to Apple devices such as the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPads powered by the M4 chip or newer with at least 12GB of memory, Macs with M3 or later chips and 12GB of unified memory, and the Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip.
The standard iPhone 17 is excluded because it ships with 8GB of memory. Apple says the new AI model powers features such as more expressive voices and advanced dictation in Siri.
If Kuo's latest prediction proves accurate, it remains unclear whether the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e would be capable of running Apple's most powerful on-device AI model. Despite the modest increase in RAM, the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e could still fall short of the current 12GB memory requirement.
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