“iPhones need less RAM than Android phones.” It’s a phrase I’ve been hearing for years, and all things considered, there’s some basis to it. iOS is an operating system that doesn’t consume as many resources as Android, and it’s able to run smoothly on devices with amounts that would be ridiculous on a competing system — like the iPhone 12’s 4GB of RAM.
With the iPhone 17 rumors comes more than interesting information: 12GB of RAM will be a reality in the iPhone 2025, as we read in MacRumors.This reaffirms a position that some of us have been advocating for years. Yes, more RAM was needed.
iPhone 17 with 12GB RAMThe iPhone 17 models, at least in the Pro Max versions, will have 12GB of RAM. There is currently a 2GB RAM difference between the Pro models and the standard models, with the iPhone 15 Pro having 8GB of RAM and the iPhone 15 having 6GB.
That difference will disappear on the iPhone 16, which is expected to have 8GB of RAM for the entire family, which is the equivalent of two years of momentum in an anniversary that has so far seemed secondary.
Apple Intelligence, the main person in chargeThere’s a major reason for this increase in RAM. Apple’s AI is a massive, local system that requires large amounts of memory. In fact, the iPhone 15 — not the Pro — and earlier models won’t be able to run Apple’s AI for this simple reason: they lack RAM.
If Apple wants to ensure that its phones are compatible with Apple Intelligence in the future, iPhones will have to opt for at least 8GB of RAM.
RAM, better than too much, not too littleThe argument that iPhones don’t need a lot of RAM to function is a flimsy one. It holds just as much weight as it does in that it doesn’t need a lot of power to function well. The key is that when it comes to hardware, more is better than less.
If Apple had been more generous with the RAM in the iPhone 14 Pro and 15, these models could have had Apple’s smarts. They’re by no means lacking in power or ability to crank out that AI, but they’re very limited on RAM.
Same path on MacintoshIt won’t just be an iPhone thing. The four Mac models, according to Gorman, will say goodbye to 8GB and will now feature 16GB. It was a necessary move, as there was no justification for a high-end Mac to start with 8GB of RAM.
AI had to come along to show us what we already suspected: Large RAM, whether it’s working or not.
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