All 2025 iPhones, including “iPhone 17 Air,” should feature 12GB of RAM
Apple is rumored to equip all models in its upcoming 2025 smartphone lineup with 12GB of RAM, including the so-called ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air.”
Ming-Chi Kuo, a revered industry analyst with sources deeply entrenched in Apple’s supply chain, has predicted in today’s blog post that the base iPhone 17, the rumored ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air,” as well as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, should all have twelve gigabytes of RAM.
This is a departure from Kuo’s earlier stance that only the flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max would have that much RAM. “Apple’s more ambitious DRAM upgrade strategy stems from intensifying competition in the smartphone market,” he said.
Kuo: “iPhone 17 Air” and other 2025 models should have 12GB of RAM
“Apple aims to equip the iPhone 17 base model with twelve gigabytes as well, but potential supply shortages remain a concern,” the analyst noted. “The company is finalizing its assessment and expects to make a decision by May.”
Provided Kuo’s prediction proves true, picking a new iPhone when the iPhone 17 lineup launches this September should be easier, at least in terms of the RAM. More RAM means smoother multitasking, but Apple is not doing this in the name of multitasking.
This is all about Apple Intelligence. Apple has for years refused to increase the RAM on iPhones, arguing that the iOS operating system is more efficient than Android, thus requiring less RAM to work smoothly. The argument is true, to an extent, but Apple did a U-turn after ChatGPT took the world by storm.
Apple Intelligence brought us extra RAM
The iPhone 13 Pros, the iPhone 14 family and the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models all have six gigabytes of RAM. To support Apple Intelligence, however, Apple equipped the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max with eight gigabytes of RAM while doubling the base RAM on all Mac models from eight to sixteen gigabytes, without raising prices. Also, the iPhone 16 lineup has eight gigabytes of RAM across all models, Pro and non-Pro ones.
Kuo is not the first to claim this; back in August 2024, a Chinese leaker shared that all iPhones coming down the pike in 2025 would boost the RAM to twelve gigabytes to better support generative AI and other Apple Intelligence features.
Eight gigabytes of memory is the bare minimum for Apple Intelligence. To make Apple Intelligence perform better by running larger AI models on-device, however, extra RAM is needed. In that regard, Kuo is probably right that the iPhone 17 lineup will boost the amount of RAM by fifty percent, to twelve gigabytes.
Doing so should also enable Apple to fit a more capable large language model to power an AI-infused Siri that was recently delayed. Even if you don’t care the tiniest bit about Apple Intelligence, having fifty percent more RAM will result in smoother everyday multitasking.
Apple’s silicon chief Johny Srouji confirmed as much in a September 2024 YouTube interview with Geekerwan, saying the extra RAM would “help immensely” for tasks like high-end gaming.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/24/apple-iphone-17-air-2025-lineup-12-gb-ram-rumor/
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