Khaberni - In a move that could represent a shift in its strategy to differentiate categories, recent tech reports indicate that the upcoming basic iPhone 18 model from Apple will see an unprecedented upgrade in its Random Access Memory (RAM), reaching a capacity of 12 gigabytes.
This leap, which represents a 50% increase over its predecessor, will place the basic model on an equal footing with older "Pro" versions for the first time, such as the iPhone 17 Pro, promising a significant boost in performance and multitasking capabilities.
The website "MacRumors," which specializes in Apple news, reported a story from the Korean site "The Bell," stating that the basic model of the iPhone 18 series will come with a random access memory capacity of 12 gigabytes.
This upgrade comes after the memory of the basic iPhone 17 remained fixed at 8 gigabytes, while iPhone Air models and iPhone 17 Pro models received a unified memory of 12 gigabytes, alongside the modern "A19 Pro" chip.
The 12-gigabyte capacity represents a qualitative leap, with a 50% increase from the phones that immediately preceded it, and doubles the capacity available in iPhones from just two years ago, confirming Apple's direction to raise the minimum specifications of basic devices to keep up with the demands of artificial intelligence applications and more complex tasks.
Aside from the technical upgrade, the report indicates that Apple plans to move to a staggered release schedule, starting with the iPhone 18 series. This schedule means that fans of the basic model will not see it at the traditional time.
Expectations suggest that Apple will launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, along with iPhone Air 2, and possibly the foldable iPhone Fold, all in the fall of 2026.
In contrast, the launch of the basic iPhone 18 model, alongside the iPhone 18e model, will be postponed, arriving in markets in the spring of the following year (Spring 2027). This timing distribution likely aims to manage supply chains and maximize the media attention cycle for each category.
It is believed there is a direct technical motive behind the increase in memory capacity in the basic iPhone 18 to 12 gigabytes. Reports suggest that Apple has asked memory suppliers to increase the production of LPDDR5X DRAM chips for the upcoming iPhone series.
Apple is requesting these additional quantities from companies "Samsung," "Micron," and "SK Hynix," with whom it is in discussions.
Moreover, the aforementioned LPDDR5X chips exclusively come in only two main memory versions: 12 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes.
Since Apple follows a tradition of transferring features and upgrades from "Pro" models to basic models after a period ranging from one to two years, ceasing the use of 8-gigabyte chips and transitioning to a minimum of 12 gigabytes represents a logical step dictated by the available chip specifications and technological advancement.
