The standard iPhone 18 launching next year will include 12GB of unified memory to power Apple’s most advanced on-device AI model and its new Siri AI features, according to South Korea’s KB Securities (via DigiTimes).
During its Siri AI announcement at WWDC 2026, Apple confirmed that the most powerful model enables more expressive Siri voices and major improvements in systemwide dictation accuracy. Both features require 12GB of unified memory.
Among current iPhones, that limits the more powerful model to the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 misses out because it only has 8GB of RAM, but the same limitation isn’t expected for the iPhone 18. Apple will boost memory for the base model to 12GB while keeping the iPhone’s price unchanged, according to today’s report.
Apple has apparently asked its RAM suppliers to increase its supply of LPDDR5X chips for the next iPhone lineup. KB Securities also noted that Apple will continue buying mobile DRAM from the world’s three largest memory makers – Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron – at prices above market levels, and suggested the company will absorb the costs rather than pass them on to the consumer. If so, the existing $799 starting price should remain in place.
MacDailyNews Note: A reminder that the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone are expected to launch in fall 2026, followed by the standard iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone 18e in the first half of 2027.
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