Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 in spring 2027, in a departure from its regular schedule, and though it is rumored to have more active memory, it may not be enough to run every Apple Intelligence feature, if a new report is true.
Apple’s Staggered iPhone 18 Smartphone Timeline
September won’t be the only month to see multiple releases…
There will be new iPhones before that: Apple’s next releases will be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the company’s first folding phone, possibly called iPhone Ultra. These are expected in September — read this for exactly when. However, it’s thought that Apple is going to hold the regular model, the iPhone 18 and release it alongside the budget version, iPhone 18e in spring 2027. The second-generation model of the iPhone Air may be revealed at the same time.
Now, in a new report, respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities has implied that the iPhone 18 won’t be capable of two of the Apple Intelligence features revealed in June.
The iPhone 18 9GB DRAM Split And On-Device Memory Limitations
Upgrading the onboard memory may not go far enough.
“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 running smoothly under AI workloads,” Kuo said in a post on X.
An upgrade in RAM is welcome and will bring stronger performance, but it seems likely that this increase won’t be enough for the most advanced features such as expressive voices on Siri and enhanced dictation.
At WWDC, Apple said that these features were restricted to the most advanced on-device Apple Intelligence model, needing the best hardware. This means iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air in the current crop.
Why iPhone 18 And 18e May Miss The AI Cutoff
The Pro models should be okay, though.
They all have 12GB of RAM, so unless Kuo has his figures wrong, the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e won’t be up to the job.
It’s important to note that these features are a tiny part of what makes up the new Apple Intelligence innovations, which will run on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and all phones from iPhone 16 onwards.
Kuo also confirms that the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max (plus, presumably, the foldable iPhone) will have enough RAM for these top-flight extras.
“iOS 27 will bring tighter system-level integration with Apple Intelligence. The three new high-end 2H26 models powered by the A20 Pro chip (the foldable and two 18 Pro models) will remain unchanged at 12GB (1.5GB × 8 dies),” he claimed. So, while the iPhone 18 may not be capable of these features, the Pro models should be.