Apple iPhone 18 to feature 50% more RAM at surprising price

The Apple iPhone 17 ($747 on Amazon) has only 8 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 17 Pro (Max) and the iPhone Air come with 12 GB of RAM. This means that Apple’s new AI model only runs on the more expensive models. In iOS 27, this model is primarily required for the more natural language of the completely revamped Siri AI assistant, but is likely to be necessary for additional AI features in the future. Apple is expected to eliminate this drawback of the base model in the iPhone 18. 

As reported by DigiTimes, the next-generation base iPhone model is set to receive an upgrade from 8 GB to 12 GB of RAM. This lends credibility to earlier rumors. What is surprising, however, is that Apple is not expected to raise the price of the base model despite the DRAM crisis and the 50 percent increase in RAM. If this information is correct, the iPhone 18 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of flash storage will launch in the U.S. for $799 and in Europe for €949.

Apple is expected to absorb the rising production costs caused by more expensive DRAM and NAND memory itself, rather than passing them on to customers, which would allow the iPhone 18 series to be positioned significantly better against the competition. However, the base model is expected to be at a disadvantage in at least one respect. While the iPhone 18 Pro (Max) and the iPhone Ultra are set to be unveiled in September, the launch of the iPhone 18 is not expected until spring 2027. Aside from a new processor and more RAM, no major upgrades are expected.