The latest
Apple may be planning its smallest RAM upgrade in years for its next base-model iPhones, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, one of the most closely watched Apple forecasters in the industry.
Details
• Kuo said the iPhone 18 and 18e are expected to feature 9GB of RAM — a 1GB increase over the iPhone 16 generation, and a much smaller jump than the leap from 8GB to 12GB seen on the iPhone 16 Pro to 17 Pro.
• Pro models and the foldable iPhone — potentially called the iPhone Ultra — are expected to stay at 12GB and remain on track for a fall launch.
• The base iPhone 18 and 18e are expected to arrive in early 2027, with Apple splitting its launch calendar due to memory supply constraints.
• Apple has already raised prices on Macs and iPads by up to $400, citing surging memory costs driven by AI demand across the industry.
• The company is simultaneously under pressure to increase RAM to support Apple Intelligence and the revamped Siri features unveiled at WWDC 2026 — making the tradeoff harder on lower-priced devices.
What to watch
Whether a 9GB ceiling is enough to run Apple’s expanding on-device AI features smoothly on the base iPhone 18. If it isn’t, the memory shortage won’t just be a pricing story — it will become a performance one.
