iPhone 18 rumored to have more RAM to improve AI performance

Apple’s lower-end iPhone 18 models, expected to be announced in spring 2027, will feature 9GB of RAM for improved Apple Intelligence support, according to a new analyst report.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the lower-end models, likely to be the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e, will have 1GB more RAM than the outgoing iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e.

As for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, Kuo expects those phones to sport 12GB of RAM. This matches the current iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

More RAM per die

Writing in a post on the X social network, Kuo says that the spring iPhones will use A20 chips that have 1.5GB x 6 dies. This figure is up from the 2GB x 4 dies that are used in the A19 models.

Extrapolating to the A20 Pro, it’s expected that Apple’s chips will have 1.5GB x 8 dies, resulting in 12GB.

The reason for Apple’s decision to give its budget models more RAM is a desire for improved Apple Intelligence performance, the analyst believes. The additional RAM is “to keep the system running smoothly under AI workloads.”

Unclear expectations

Apple announced iOS 27 during its WWDC event on June 8, 2026. The update will bring new AI features, including Siri AI, to iPhones this fall.

Kuo’s report would make sense in this context. Apple will surely want to ensure that all new iPhones are as performant as possible when using iOS 27’s latest features.

However, it’s unclear what additional AI performance the jump from 8GB to 9GB would afford the spring iPhones.

We already know that Siri AI can run on any device with 8GB of RAM. We know that because iOS 27 and its new Apple Intelligence features are compatible with those devices.

The only wrinkle is Apple’s new on-device AI models. Those are limited to the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air thanks to 12GB of RAM.

It’s unknown whether an iPhone 18 with 9GB of RAM would also be capable of supporting on-device models. All we know now is that iPhones with 8GB don’t, and iPhones with 12GB do. Where the cutoff between those two figures is, is unclear.

If everything goes the way it is expected to, Apple will announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max alongside the iPhone Ultra this fall. Then, the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will debut in the spring of 2027.

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Stephan Dorsey

Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.

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Recent Reviews

NFC can now set up your smart home devices before they even power on

Setting up a smart home has always involved a bit of ritual—scanning a QR code, opening an app, and waiting for Bluetooth to kick in. To remove this friction, the Connectivity Standards Alliance is releasing the Matter 1.6 update today. While the update is incremental, it’s worth paying attention to as it aims to make setups feel a lot less clunky. Beyond this, the version also introduces Joint Fabric and Thermostat Suggestion features.

Making smart home setups less annoying

Add devices before installation

The headline addition on Matter 1.6 is NFC-based commissioning. This means that instead of the old method of setting up a smart device, the new version now lets you use full NFC exchange for the setup process. You can hold your smartphone to a Matter-certified device without relying on Bluetooth-based flow—even before it’s fully powered on. Multiple devices can also be configured in advance and activated at their final locations.

This could be especially handy for devices that end up in a hard-to-reach spot. A light bulb that needs to go into a ceiling fixture or a wall switch before the mains power is connected. It removes the need to install first and then scan a tiny code from an awkward angle.

Beyond the NFC pairing, CSA is also introducing Joint Fabric if your home is split between different platforms. It features a new way for multiple smart home platforms to share access to devices on a single unified network. Add a bulb once and every platform on the network can see it.

Another new addition is Thermostat Suggestions. It lets smart home platforms send recommendations rather than direct commands that must always be followed. The thermostat then decides whether to follow it based on the user’s preferences, recent manual changes, or current conditions. This is because automations from different apps sometimes clash with each other. For example, if you manually adjust the temperature and a service tries to change it seconds later, the thermostat can recognize the conflict and hold off. The new version also brings smaller improvements, such as security sensors sharing events, standardized device communication across ecosystems, and enabling smoke and CO alarms to flag when they’ve been removed from the wall.