Kuo: Next Year's Upgrade to 12GB RAM Will Be Limited to iPhone 17 Pro Max

Just a day after a noted leaker on Chinese microblogging site Weibo suggested the iPhone 17 lineup in 2025 could see an upgrade to 12GB of RAM across the board, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the upgrade will be limited to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

iPhone 17 Pro Max Smaller Dynamic Island Feature 1
If Kuo is correct, it means the smaller iPhone 17 Pro, the base ‌iPhone 17‌, and the all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" will stick with the 8GB figure rumored for the entire iPhone 16 lineup this year. The fourth-generation iPhone SE expected in early 2025 will reportedly also carry 8GB of RAM.

The amount of RAM in Apple's devices is currently of increased importance, as Apple has judged that 8GB is the minimum required for the Apple Intelligence features coming in iOS 18, which means only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max of Apple's current phones will support them. The ‌iPhone 15‌ and 15 Plus carry only 6GB of RAM.

While a move to 8GB across the board starting with next month's ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup will enable all new iPhones to support ‌Apple Intelligence‌ going forward, a further bump to 12GB would likely allow for even more powerful AI capabilities, but it now appears that may be limited to Apple's highest-end model in 2025.

Aside from the increased 12GB of RAM, Kuo says the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max will also have an exclusive cooling system combining vapor chamber technology with graphite sheets. The other new iPhone models launching in 2025 will rely solely on graphite sheets for cooling.

Related Roundups: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro

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Top Rated Comments

N69AP Avatar
9 months ago
Differentiating the Pro models this way doesn't motivate me to spend more on a Pro Max. It means I would either settle for the cheaper iPhone 17 or not upgrade at all.
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThailandToo Avatar
9 months ago
In another six to eight years it will catch up to where good Android phones have been - now at 16GB plus on flagship Android devices - more than a MacBook has!!! Forced obsolescence is good for GREEDY TIM!
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
9 months ago
Come on, this is Apple. Everyone knows this is true. The other report about 12GB for all iPhone 17 was pure fantasy.

This is the same company that puts 8GB RAM in M3 MacBook Pro.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sc00ba Avatar
9 months ago
Nice one Tim, just p**s your customers off more and more, every year, with each new novelty phone release?.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KoolAid-Drink Avatar
9 months ago
I find it incredibly annoying that MR releases/shares rumors about future iPhones before the next iPhone (in this case, 16) is released. Feels kind of disrespectful to the unreleased iPhone, IMHO.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aows Avatar
9 months ago

Majority of the customers don’t care about RAM in their phones
Oh, iPhone 15 and 15 Plus owners are going to care about that pretty soon, when they realize their months-old phones can’t run Apple Intelligence.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)