February 27, 2025 – The latest reports indicate that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Pro series will be equipped with 12GB of RAM, a significant upgrade aimed at meeting the demands of increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) features. The introduction of Apple Intelligence has set a new minimum requirement of 8GB RAM for devices to function properly, and as Apple continues to push the boundaries of this technology, a higher RAM configuration has become a necessity.
This is not the first time rumors have circulated about the iPhone 17 Pro’s potential RAM upgrade. Back in August 2024, following Apple’s announcement of Apple Intelligence at WWDC, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a memory boost for the iPhone 17 Pro line. Now, these whispers are gaining more credibility.
According to an investor report obtained by 9to5Mac from GFHK Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will sport 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. This is a notable increase from the current iPhone 16 series, which only offers 8GB. The report highlights that as AI capabilities become more widespread, both PC and smartphone manufacturers are upgrading their devices’ memory to handle the higher performance demands.
Jeff Pu further notes that the transition to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max alone is expected to drive a 3.5% year-on-year growth in smartphone DRAM capacity, affecting approximately 100 million new iPhones.
The advent of Apple Intelligence has raised the bar for device memory requirements. In 2023, only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max featured 8GB of RAM, while the standard iPhone 15 had just 6GB. By 2024, Apple extended the 8GB configuration to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, limiting Apple Intelligence support to the iPhone 15 Pro and subsequent models. Even the newly released iPhone 16e comes with 8GB of RAM and supports Apple Intelligence.
The RAM upgrade in the iPhone 17 Pro series not only ensures stronger performance but also suggests that Apple Intelligence might introduce more features that demand higher memory support in the future. Last year, Apple updated its Mac lineup, equipping all devices, including the older M2 MacBook Air, with 16GB of RAM.
Beyond the RAM enhancement, the iPhone 17 series is rumored to undergo several significant design changes. Reports indicate that the new iPhones will feature a revamped camera layout and enhanced video recording capabilities, making them more suitable for video bloggers. Additionally, Apple might introduce an ultra-slim iPhone, positioned between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, potentially replacing the current Plus model.
The new iPhone lineup is expected to be officially unveiled in September of this year.
