All Three 2017 iPhones Predicted to Have 3GB of RAM and Lightning Connectors With Faster Charging

All three of Apple's rumored 2017 iPhone models will likely have 3GB of RAM, according to Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri.

iphone dual single
An excerpt from Arcuri's late March research note, obtained by MacRumors:

In terms of memory/storage configuration, all three models will likely adopt 3GB RAM; the 4.7”/5.5” will likely have the same storage options as the current iPhone 7/7+ in 32/128/256GB while the 5.8” model looks to be only offered in two memory configurations: 64GB and 256GB. Finally, the 5.8” model will likely have extended battery life with two packs of batteries.

Arcuri's research contradicts Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, which recently said that only the next 5.5-inch iPhone and Apple's rumored 5.8-inch iPhone with an OLED display will have 3GB of RAM. TrendForce said the next 4.7-inch iPhone will continue to have 2GB of RAM like the iPhone 7.

Apple already includes 3GB of RAM in the iPhone 7 Plus, so the 4.7-inch iPhone would be the only model with increased RAM.

If the prediction is accurate, it's welcomed news for customers that plan on purchasing the next 4.7-inch iPhone, rather than spending upwards of $200 more on the so-called "iPhone 8" with an edge-to-edge OLED display.

Increased RAM means an iPhone can store more data in memory. If you have dozens of tabs open in Safari on an older iPhone, for example, you may notice that some of the tabs refresh when you revisit them. But with increased RAM, the likelihood of Safari reloading a website you previously loaded is lower.

Lightning iPhone 7
Arcuri also corroborated KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in saying that all three 2017 iPhone models will continue to have Lightning connectors with USB Type-C Power Delivery for faster charging.

Cowen's research is based on his own checks of Apple's supply chain, so his prediction lends credence to the already-reliable Kuo.

The Wall Street Journal previously said the "iPhone 8" will have "a USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company’s original Lightning connector." But the report did not provide any additional details, and it appears the Lightning connector will live on.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

meaning-matters Avatar
84 months ago
No USB-C?

Laptops with USB-C, with headphone jack.
Phones without USB-C, without headphone jack.
Tablets without USB-C, with headphone jack.

It's a mess.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
84 months ago
*scans for any mention of digitimes*

cool.

*proceeds reading*
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
84 months ago
I've got no problem with USB-C replacing the USB-A end of the cable. But going to USB-C on the iPhone itself is stupid.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ActionableMango Avatar
84 months ago
You could use any wire to charge your phone because all chargers would use type C.
A 1-wire solution is a nice theory, but it doesn't match reality, at least not for me. The reason I have cable clutter all over the place is definitely because of USB.

I just bought a rechargeable bicycle rear light and a CR2032 battery recharger, both of which are Mini-USB. Even recently designed hardware like Xbox One S controllers still have micro USB. So even the USB people aren't getting their act together and moving to the latest standard.



While USB may be the industry standard, it is in no way a 1-cable solution. Even if you throw out the 4 that are for connecting computer equipment, you've still got 3 that are widely used for charging (Mini, Micro, and C).

So yes, Apple should change to USB-C, but until every else does too, the 1-wire charging cable is a pipe dream.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
84 months ago
I could go either way on lightning vs USB-C. I'm not eager for another change on connectors for all the iOS devices but I could see it being convenient if the entire Apple line standardized to USB-C
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
84 months ago
Samsung S8 has 6GB. Note 8 will come with 6.4 inch screen at 4K and also hooks up to an external monitor and keyboard with an optional $150 Hockey Puck Dock.
I will be getting a Note 8 instead of an iPhone for the very first time in many years
IF Apple follows the same lead as Samsung making your phone expandable and a portable desktop computer I will come back to the iPhone .
And yet the iPhone 7 beats both the S7 and S8 in real-world and benchmark tests...what's your point here? You want more RAM just so you can say you have more?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
emojipedia 15 1 emoji

Emoji Coming to Future iOS 17 Update Include Shaking Head, Brown Mushroom, Lime, Phoenix and More

Tuesday September 19, 2023 12:43 pm PDT by
As Apple was announcing new iPhone models last week, the Unicode Consortium was officially approving new emoji characters that are set to be added to smartphones starting in 2024. Mockup of new emoji from Emojipedia Approved Unicode 15.1 emoji include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken...