The Apple Intelligence effect: iPhone 17 rumored to boost the RAM to 12GB
All iPhone 17 models coming down the pike in 2025 could have 12GB of RAM to better support generative AI and other Apple Intelligence features.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have 8GB of RAM, with the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus equipped with 6GB of RAM, the same as 2023’s iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The rumor-mill thinks all the models in this year’s iPhone 16 lineup will have 8GB of RAM, but it seems like Apple might double the iPhone’s RAM in just two years in response to the artificial intelligence (AI) craze.
By comparison, the new Pixel 9 phones use Google’s latest Tensor G4 chip with 16GB of RAM to support various AI features. iPhones have always had less RAM than their Android counterparts. Conventional wisdom is that Apple builds hardware and software to optimize everything to run smoothly with less RAM than Android. However, AI will test Apple’s conservative RAM strategy to its limits.
iPhone 17 will run Apple Intelligence better than iPhone 16
Chinese-language user “Phone Chip Expert” shared on Weibo that the iPhone 17 models will use 12GB of RAM for better AI. “If you’re planning to switch to an AI-powered iPhone, the iPhone 17 in 2025 might be a better choice,” wrote the leaker.
“This year’s iPhone 16 only has 8GB of RAM, with most of the AI processing done in the cloud. Next year’s iPhone 17 will have 12GB of RAM and more edge AI applications. This is something to consider for those with a limited budget who want to upgrade their iPhone.”
The leaker “Phone Chip Expert” has a track record of accurate predictions. Phone Chip Expert was the first to reveal that the iPhone 7 would be water-resistant and that the standard iPhone 14 models would continue to use the A15 Bionic chip, while the more advanced A16 chip would be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models. These forecasts were later confirmed by multiple credible sources and were proven correct when the products were released.
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More recently, “Phone Chip Expert” was the first source of information about Apple developing its own AI server processor using TSMC’s 3nm process, targeting mass production by the second half of 2025.
The announced Apple Intelligence features will roll out across 2024 and 2025. Apple will use on-device processing whenever possible. This is important for privacy as your data will be passed to AI models to deliver personalized answers. You want everything to happen locally instead of in the cloud.
Only complex queries requiring the power of the cloud are passed to Apple’s servers. Doing so doesn’t compromise your privacy, thanks to Private Cloud Compute. This is Apple’s cloud intelligence system for private AI processing, built with custom silicon and a hardened operating system designed for privacy.
Apple’s conservative approach to RAM
The RAM, or Random Access Memory, stores both code and data needed to run apps. Apple Intelligence requires 8GB of RAM; the only iPhones matching the requirement are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The sudden urgency to shove AI down our throats has prompted Apple to boost the RAM on this year’s iPhone 16 family to 8GB. Apple’s conservative approach to RAM could backfire here.
The iPhone 14 Pros cannot run Apple Intelligence as they have 6GB of RAM, but an extra 2GB may not make much of a difference in AI. If that weren’t the case, Apple wouldn’t increase the RAM again to 12GB in 2025. The company had probably finalized the iPhone 16’s A18 chip by the time ChatGPT caught the world by storm, causing engineers to scramble to boost the 2025 iPhones’ RAM to 12GB.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/08/28/apple-iphone-17-ram-boost-rumor-apple-intelligence/
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