iPhone 18 to offer 12GB of RAM
What's the story
Apple is said to be gearing up for a major upgrade in its next iPhone lineup. The company is reportedly planning to offer 12GB of unified memory in the base model of the upcoming iPhone 18 series. This would be a major leap from its predecessor, the iPhone 17. It would bring the device on par with the current iPhone 17 Pro models, which also come with a whopping 12GB of RAM.
Release strategy
Changing iPhone release strategy
Along with the RAM upgrade, Apple is also said to be changing its release strategy for the iPhone 18 lineup. Instead of a single launch event, the company is planning a staggered release. The iPhone Air 2, iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max, and iPhone Fold are expected to launch in fall 2026. The base model of iPhone 18 and its budget version will be unveiled in spring next year.
Chip demand
Asking memory suppliers to produce more chips
For the iPhone 18 lineup, Apple is said to be asking its memory suppliers to produce more LPDDR5X DRAM chips. The company is mainly looking at Samsung for these additional chips, but is also in talks with Micron and SK Hynix for more supply. This move indicates Apple's commitment to ensuring that its next-gen devices are equipped with enough memory capacity.
Specifications
LPDDR5X DRAM chips come in 2 variants
The LPDDR5X DRAM chips that Apple is looking for come in two variants: 12GB and 16GB. This makes it likely that the base model of iPhone 18 will get a RAM upgrade to match its Pro counterparts. However, there are no immediate benefits of having such a large amount of RAM on an iPhone just yet.