The iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Duo were initially supposed to feature a lot more RAM, according to a new report. Unfortunately, the current memory crisis — driven by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure — forced Apple to cancel its original plans for this year.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo have less RAM now
Realistically, though, you're unlikely to notice that. | Image by PhoneArena
According to an industry insider (translated source) with a very solid track record, the iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone Duo were supposed to ship with 16 GB of RAM, a first for Apple’s flagship smartphones.
Of course, as we now know, all three phones are equipped with 12 GB of RAM instead. Were it not for the requirements of Siri AI, it is possible that Apple might have tried to go back to the days of 8 GB of RAM.
And the only reason the base iPhone models got 8 GB of RAM in the first place was also AI. Apple established 8 GB of RAM as the bare minimum required for accessing all Apple Intelligence features. Naturally, these requirements have only grown ever since Siri got more intelligent.
Do you notice the lack of a RAM upgrade on your iPhone 18 Pro?
1 Votes
From 16 GB back down to 12 GB
Early leaks from inside the supply chain way back when had also indicated that the iPhone 18 Pro models would come equipped with 16 GB of RAM. This would have meant that Apple’s flagships would have had as much RAM as the highest-tier Galaxy S-series phone. Namely, the Ultra models that come with 16 GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage.
Recommended For You
Apple likely wanted to do this to facilitate better AI performance on-device. Skyrocketing memory prices, however, forced the company to continue to make do with 12 GB of RAM for now.
Originally, it was expected that Apple would sell its devices at a loss for a few years in the hopes to win over more market share and make back that lost revenue via service subscriptions down the line. That, as is clear now, did not last very long.
We got a price hike instead
These things aren't cheap. | Image by PhoneArena
Instead of more RAM, however, we got slapped with a larger price tag instead. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max are $100 more expensive than their predecessors. The phones are too expensive now, something that customers have noticed and Apple seems to be aware of as well.
Apple knows that the economy is suffering and that it's flagships cost a lot now. | Image by Reddit
Granted, this is something that is happening all across the smartphone industry at the moment. Phone manufacturers are in a funny catch-22 situation, they need more RAM to power AI on their phones but said RAM keeps getting more expensive because of aforementioned AI.
Thankfully, Apple managed to keep the iPhone Duo’s price relatively reasonable. Early reports had indicated that it would start at around $2,300 instead of its actual current starting price of $1,999.
It’s likely that Apple is absorbing some costs for now to encourage more people to give its foldable a try. How long this lasts, though, is up in the air.
A generation you can, and probably should, skip
You can go another year without upgrading. | Image by PhoneArena
Though Burgundy is a beautiful color option (when it’s not fading away), the iPhone 18 Pro isn’t doing anything revolutionary. I’d advise skipping this year’s models if your current phone is working fine, especially because next year’s iPhone 20 Pro will be doing something new and exciting with its bezel-free display.
There’s the iPhone Duo, admittedly, which is something new this year, but I keep saying it’s best to stay away from first-generation products. This is Apple’s first-ever foldable and we have no clue what, if any, problems are going to arise for early iPhone Duo adopters in the future.
Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: