Apple may put 12GB of RAM exclusively on this iPhone 17 series phone
Apple has yet to reveal the iPhone 16 series, but we’ve already been hearing quite a bit about the iPhone 17 series. The flagship series, which is likely to be unveiled in September 2025, is rumored to feature several upgrades over the iPhone 16 series. Earlier this week, it was tipped that the iPhone 17 would arrive with a memory upgrade over its predecessor. Now, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shed more light on the specifications of the top-of-the-line iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple’s premium handset is said to arrive with increased RAM and an improved cooling system compared to the iPhone 17 Pro and other variants in the series.
12GB RAM update may be limited to iPhone 17 Pro Max
Renowned supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed Kuo revealed his iPhone 17 Pro Max expectations on Thursday. Kuo expects the flagship to come with 12GB of RAM. This will be a significant upgrade over the 8GB of RAM in the iPhone 15 Pro lineup. The upcoming iPhone 16 series will likely feature 8GB of RAM across the board. Apple Intelligence will likely be a key selling point of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
According to Kuo, the standard iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17, iPhone SE 4, and the ultra-thin version of the iPhone 17 (iPhone 17 “Slim”) will all have 8GB of RAM. The revelation comes a day after a Weibo leaker suggested that next year’s iPhone family would get an upgrade to 12GB of RAM, without specifying which models in the lineup would get the memory boost.
Furthermore, Kuo believes that Apple will add an upgraded cooling system, combining vapor chamber (VC) technology and graphite plates, exclusively on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The remaining standard iPhone 17 models and iPhone 17 Pro could continue to use only graphite plates for thermal management.
iPhone 17 Pro Max currently accounts for nearly 40 percent of new model shipments, Kuo says. Based on this, he suggests that Apple will continue to focus on its strategy of differentiating the iPhone 17 Pro Max from its non-Max counterpart by offering the best specs for the Pro Max variant in the iPhone lineup.
The iPhone 17 series launch is still over a year away, and we can expect these details to change over time.
