With the iPhone 16, Apple elevated the quantity of RAM to 8GB so it may well correctly run upcoming Apple Intelligence options. And additional RAM will increase may very well be on the playing cards as Apple Intelligence evolves, if the newest report a few future iPhone is any indication.
In response to a report on Weibo by “Cell phone chip professional,” the iPhone 18 will function a brand new A20 chip that features 12GB of RAM:
The 2nm processor A20 of the 2026 Apple iPhone will undertake a brand new packaging technique. APTS has been modified from the unique InFo to the WMCM packaging technique. Reminiscence will even be upgraded to 12GB, and the entire community will probably be introduced 2 years upfront.
The particular person behind “Cellular chip professional” states of their Weibo profile that they’ve 25 years within the built-in chip business. That particular person has additionally made correct predictions prior to now. “Cellular chip professional” additionally reported in August that the iPhone 17 can have 12GB of RAM, a reported echoed by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Whereas Apple Intelligence isn’t formally accessible but, it’s already had an impact on the corporate’s merchandise. For the function to work the best way Apple needs it to work, the iPhone, iPad, and Mac want extra RAM, a element the corporate has been stingy with traditionally. However with the brand new iPhone 16, Apple elevated the quantity of RAM within the system, and is rumored to do the identical with the upcoming base M4 MacBook Professional.
AI options like Apple Intelligence are processor-intensive, so having sufficient RAM is necessary for an optimum expertise. As Apple Intelligence evolves, it may turn out to be extra demanding of the processor, which may clarify why Apple is about to extend RAM in future units.
The report additionally mentions that the A20 chip within the iPhone 18 will probably be manufactured utilizing an enhanced 2nm course of. This falls according to a report from the start of this yr that stated that Apple was trying into the 2nm course of for its iPhone 17 in 2025.
The nanometer course of refers back to the manufacturing of the chip, and 2nm permits for elevated transistor density over the present 3nm used for the A18 and A18 Professional within the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional respectively. The upper the transistor density, the higher the efficiency and energy effectivity. The improved 2nm course of for the A20 chip in 2026 would introduce enhancements from the usual 2nm course of.