The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max include 12GB of RAM, which is 50% more than their predecessors. The change should improve the performance of the handsets, especially when handling AI-related functions.
However, the base model iPhone 17 did not get a RAM upgrade. And the amount in the iPhone Air remains unknown.
iPhone 17 Pro gets a RAM boost
For some reason, Apple doesn’t reveal how much RAM goes into its handsets. The company clearly states that 16GB of unified memory goes into a base model MacBook Pro, but doesn’t say anything about how much is in an iPhone.
Fortunately, benchmarking applications can discover how much RAM is in a computer. And with the first benchmark results for the iPhone 17 series coming to light, we have an answer for some of the models Apple just announced at the Awe Dropping event on Tuesday.
A preliminary Geekbench 6 test shows that the iPhone 17 Pro includes 12GB of RAM. Its predecessor has 8GB. The change had first been rumored way back in 2024.
As Apple declines to ever mention iPhone RAM, obviously it doesn’t explain why its latest model includes 50% more. But additional RAM helps boost performance, and the iPhone 17 Pro models will need to run Apple’s on-device AI functions, which reportedly come with hefty RAM requirements. Unlike many rivals, Apple Intelligence runs directly on users’ handsets as much as possible for privacy and security reasons.
iPhone 17 RAM doesn’t change
A Geekbench 6 test of the base model iPhone 17 reveals that it includes 8GB of RAM. That’s the same amount as the iPhone 16.
At this point, there don’t seem to be any benchmark tests available for the new iPhone Air, the fourth model Apple announced Tuesday. Rumor indicates it’ll also have 12GB, but we may not know for sure until reviews of the upcoming handset are published next week.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
