Upcoming iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will ship in spring 2027 with 9GB of RAM rather than the 12GB earlier reports predicted, according to a social media post Friday by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
iPhone 18 and 18e may get only 9GB RAM
Kuo dropped a significant update on X.com today, revising his outlook on how much memory the lower-end iPhone 18 models featuring the speedy (and pricey) A20 chip will carry. He expects the “lower-end” models, most likely referring to iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e — which Apple now plans to release around March or April 2027 — to have 9GB RAM rather than the previously expected 12GB (which will still be the case with the higher-end Pro and foldable models).
The new numbers
iOS 27 will bring tighter system-level integration with Apple Intelligence. My latest industry checks suggest Apple's lower-end 1H27 iPhones, powered by the A20 chip, will move to 9GB DRAM (1.5GB × 6 dies), up from 8GB (2GB × 4 dies) in the current A19 models, to keep the system…
— 郭明錤｜Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo) June 26, 2026
Kuo says the A20 chip Apple plans to use in these lower-end devices will configure memory as 1.5GB × 6 dies, totaling 9GB — a departure from the current iPhone 17’s 2GB × 4 die arrangement, which adds up to 8GB. So the standard and entry-level models do get a memory bump, just a smaller one than the rumor mill expected.
Meanwhile, the premium models arriving this fall — iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and foldable iPhone, aka iPhone Ultra — should still carry 12GB RAM, configured as 1.5GB × 8 dies. That matches iPhone 17 Pro.
Why this matters: iOS 27 feature access
The revision lands right in the middle of a developing story about which iPhones will actually support iOS 27‘s most demanding Apple Intelligence features. The base iPhone 17 only carries 8GB of RAM, and Apple currently requires 12GB as the minimum for its top-tier AI capabilities. So those features don’t extend to iPhone 17.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
With 9GB, Apple may intend that figure to serve as the new floor. That would help ensure iPhone 18 and 18e qualify for whatever AI features iOS 27 makes available to them. But Apple confirmed its most capable on-device AI model at WWDC 2026 — the one that powers enhanced Siri voices and major accuracy improvements for system-wide dictation — and it previously set 12GB as the bar for those features. Whether Apple will lower that threshold to accommodate 9GB devices, or simply keep the most demanding capabilities exclusive to Pro models, remains an open question.
Will Apple really ship a brand-new base iPhone unable to support its latest software features from day one? Well, we may not get an answer until the devices actually launch in early 2027.
A pattern of cost-cutting on the standard models
Kuo’s post fits a broader picture of Apple trimming specs on the iPhone 18 and 18e to manage costs in a difficult memory market. Earlier this year, Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital reported Apple implemented manufacturing downgrades on the standard iPhone 18. That brings it closer to 18e at the component level, with some parts reportedly interchangeable between the two devices.
Supply-chain reporting pegged the cost of Apple’s A20 chip at as much as $280 per unit — roughly 80% higher than the previous generation. And the memory crunch appears push Apple toward creative solutions rather than simple spec increases across the board.
Apple raised prices across its Mac and iPad lines Thursday. And while iPhone 17 pricing hasn’t moved yet, iPhone 18 and 18e likely won’t escape a price increase entirely when they arrive next spring. Still, a cut in RAM could mean the price hike is less than it could have been.
The 2nm chip still arrives
Whatever the memory configuration turns out to be, both models still look set to run the 2nm A20 chip. That’s a meaningful leap over the current generation. The shift from 3nm to 2nm packs more transistors per chip, with performance gains projected at up to 15% faster speeds and up to 30% better power efficiency than the A19 inside today’s iPhone 17. Better efficiency directly benefits battery life — a priority Apple’s entire iPhone 18 lineup seems to share.
For buyers currently holding onto an iPhone 15 or older, the combination of a 2nm chip, 9GB RAM and a spring 2027 release may still make the wait worthwhile. The open question is just how much of iOS 27’s AI ambition those devices will actually get to run.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
