iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e now rumored to have a surprising amount of RAM

Apple’s Next Move: A Surprising RAM Upgrade for the iPhone 18 Series

If you’ve been tracking the rumor mill for Apple’s upcoming lineup, a fresh report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo just dropped some interesting details about the iPhone 18 and the mysterious iPhone 18e. While the standard hardware jumps are expected, there is one detail that stands out—and it’s a bit unusual.

According to Kuo, both the base iPhone 18 and the 18e are set to feature 9GB of RAM. Yes, you read that right: 9GB. It’s an unconventional figure, achieved by utilizing six 1.5GB dies. For context, this is a slight bump over the iPhone 17’s setup, which used four 2GB dies. While it isn’t a massive leap in memory capacity, the logic behind the change is clear: Apple is focused on ensuring that Apple Intelligence runs even more fluidly on their entry-level flagship models.

Current generation iPhone 17

The Pro Tier Breakdown

Naturally, the Pro lineup is receiving a more substantial upgrade to handle heavier workloads. The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone Ultra are all expected to boast 12GB of RAM, utilizing eight 1.5GB dies. This keeps the Pro tier comfortably ahead for power users and mobile photographers.

As for the brains behind the operation, the standard iPhone 18 and 18e will be powered by the A20 chip, which follows the natural progression of Apple’s silicon. Meanwhile, the Pro models—along with the new Ultra variant—will leverage the A20 Pro chip, likely offering better efficiency and performance for the hardware’s more demanding features.

It’s clear that Apple is fine-tuning its memory configuration to bridge the gap between AI requirements and physical hardware limitations. We’ll have to wait until next spring to see how this 9GB configuration translates to real-world performance.