iPhone 17 Pro Max tipped to be the only SKU to launch with 12 GB RAM and vapour chamber cooling

Even though Apple is yet to unveil the iPhone 16 lineup on September 9, multiple leaks have started to surface about its successor, the iPhone 17. Among other things, it will finally offer 120 Hz screens across all models, new selfie cameras, a new Slim/Air model, and even a 2 TB SKU. Ming-Chi Kuo has now shed light on how much memory each model could pack.

Apparently, only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will come with 12 GB of RAM. Previously, it was speculated that the iPhone 15 Pro would also come with that much memory. Plus, the Pro Max SKU will be the only one of the lot to come with vapour chamber cooling, while the others will have to make do with a graphite sheet. While the former won't matter much in day-to-day usage (except when using Apple Intelligence features, maybe), the latter should help it run cooler than its predecessors.

Kuo says this is a part of Apple's strategy to differentiate the iPhone 17 Pro Max from its non-Max version. Until recently, Pro Max SKUs were little more than a Pro model with a larger screen, offering little in the way of actual upgrades. The iPhone 15 Pro Max was the first to offer a new peak (periscope telephoto camera) and the feature gap will only widen from now on.