9.7-inch iPad Pro and iPhone SE Both Have 2GB RAM

Tuesday March 22, 2016 11:43 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple never announces the RAM in its iOS devices, so that metric often remains a mystery until a device teardown or benchmarking tests. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino has an iPhone SE and a new iPad Pro on hand, and was able to use a memory checking app to determine the RAM in both devices.

Based on his testing, it appears that both the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro include 2GB of RAM.

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2GB RAM puts the iPhone SE on par with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, both of which also include 2GB of RAM. As for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 2GB RAM means its performance isn't going to measure up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is equipped with 4GB RAM.

As was recently discovered, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro also features a slightly underclocked A9X processor, another factor that will impact its performance compared to the larger tablet.

Geekbench testing by Panzarino suggests the iPhone SE is not underlocked compared to the iPhone 6s, with the A9 in the device running at 1.85GHz. On the test, the iPhone SE received a single-core score of 2538 and a multi-core score of 4421, on par with or slightly better than tests conducted on the iPhone 6s.

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Given that it includes the same processor and the same RAM, the iPhone SE is as powerful as the iPhone 6s despite its much smaller form factor and lower price. The new iPad Pro, while less powerful than its larger sibling, has its own unique features, including a 12 megapixel camera with rear flash and a unique True Tone display.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iPhone SE 2
Buyer's Guide: 11" iPad Pro (Don't Buy)
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Sasparilla
50 months ago
2GB RAM on the SE. Wow, I've been waiting for the shoe to drop on that phone somehow, but it didn't - its going to get OS updates for as long as a 6s (if it was 1GB it could potentially get cut off in the future, but not at 2GB).

Apple is going to sell a ton of these. Great job Cook and Co..
Rating: 49 Votes
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Xavier
50 months ago
iPhone SE keeps looking more and more like my next iPhone!
Rating: 42 Votes
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Radon87000
50 months ago
This is a shameful moneygrab by Apple.The device is nothing more than a Air 3.TC just gave it a "Pro" label and jacked up the price.2 GB of ram and an underclocked A9X prove this is NO pro device in the slightest.Even Surface 3 provides 4 gigs of RAM for sub 500 bucks
Rating: 41 Votes
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Oblivious.Robot
50 months ago
So it's really just an iPad Air 3?
Edit - Okay, SE is sounding like a really good deal now. Better battery, better performance and didn't cheap out on RAM.
Rating: 32 Votes
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Alphazoid
50 months ago
More incentive to hold on to my IPA2
Rating: 28 Votes
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chrismail627
50 months ago
That's good for the iPhone, makes the iPad Pro 9.7 a little less attractive though....
Rating: 27 Votes
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vertsix
50 months ago
Thanks Apple.

Seriously, thanks for not cheaping out on something as important as RAM.

Should've increased RAM to 3GB on the iPad Pro 9.7", though. Tablets naturally need more RAM than phones.
Rating: 26 Votes
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cdmoore74
50 months ago
Underclocked and only 2GB of Ram. Apple; what are you doing to the iPads? Bumping features in one area and downgrading in others. I wish there was only one ultimate model like in the old days.
Rating: 25 Votes
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Bokito
50 months ago

So it's really just an iPad Air 3?


Yep, with a Pro price point.
Rating: 25 Votes
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nickpro
50 months ago
As a 12.9 owner I feel a lot better now about missing out on the better camera/screen of the 9.7.
Rating: 24 Votes

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