iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e may get more RAM, but there's a catch

The iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e might get an upgrade to memory dedicated to enhancing Apple Intelligence. A new leak from the TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that both smartphones will come with 9GB of RAM, a slight jump over the 8GB that the current iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e have. Also Read: iPhone 18 Pro could cost around Rs 1.2 lakh: Here's why Apple's next flagship may get much more expensive

While it’s just 1GB, it might be enough to facilitate smoother performance for Apple’s expanding AI capabilities on the devices. Apple’s on-device AI system is the most sophisticated ever offered, and with iOS 27, it has been included for the first time, thus elevating the significance of memory for future iPhones. Also Read: Apple may be about to break a 15-year-old iPhone tradition

iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e may get 9GB of RAM

In a post on X, Ming-Chi Kuo stated that Apple will be providing 9GB of DRAM in both its standard-issue iPhone 18 and budget-friendly iPhone 18e versions. Also Read: Apple may disappoint users hoping for a bigger iPhone 18 Pro battery

If Apple’s announced timeline for launches is correct, both are also supposed to be released in the first half of 2027. According to recent reports, Apple may release the Pro models in September, and the standard models in the following months.

This extra storage should enhance the system’s responsiveness, particularly switching between apps and leveraging Apple Intelligence features.

Apple can use a different memory configuration

The analyst also revealed details of how Apple could use the memory layout.

The leak indicates that the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e could come with six 1.5GB DRAM chips instead of four 2GB chips on the latest model.

The difference is just 1GB, but this new configuration may give Apple a chance to optimize how it uses the memory of its upcoming devices.

The shift also serves to illustrate that Apple is continuously making hardware enhancements instead of dramatic yearly changes.

Processor

The leak also indicates that both phones will have Apple’s upcoming A20 chipset.

TSMC’s 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process is anticipated to be used to produce the chipset. The new manufacturing process is expected to yield more powerful chips with less power consumption than today’s.

This would allow users to experience quicker app startup, smoother gaming performance, better multitasking and better battery life.

The A20 chip will also be key to being able to process more AI tasks on the device itself rather than cloud-based processing.

Apple Intelligence

In iOS 27, the company unveiled a new, more capable on-device AI that could execute more complex tasks without relying on external servers.

This new AI system is used in multiple features throughout the OS. They include more intelligent Siri conversations, enhanced writing support, improved voice recognition, better dictation, intelligent editing of text and suggestions for context across apps.

Running these features locally provides improved privacy, as it keeps information local. It does need more beef, though, such as more memory.

The current AI needs 12GB of memory

Apple has just announced that the latest AI model for an on-device processor will need unified memory of at least 12GB.

Apple’s most advanced AI experiences currently only work on a select few devices, in response to this mandate.

They include the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, the new iPads that have M4 chips or newer with 12GB of memory or more, the new Macs with M3 chips or newer and 12GB of unified memory, and the Apple Vision Pro with M5 chips.

As the launch is still a few months away, there are likely to be more leaks coming up with more details about the phones’ displays, cameras, batteries, processors and AI features.

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Assuming Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest forecast is correct, the iPhone 18 line might be another part of Apple’s strategy to begin incorporating Apple Intelligence into the core of the iPhone experience and gradually improving the hardware required to enable those capabilities.