iPhone 18 Base Model Gets 12GB RAM at $799 as Apple Pushes On-Device AI
Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Jun 16
iPhone 18 Base Model Gets 12GB RAM at $799 as Apple Pushes On-Device AI
3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Jun 16
Summary
12GB of unified memory is expected in the regular iPhone 18, letting the base model run Apple’s most powerful on-device AI and upgraded Siri features without a price increase.
Apple said at WWDC 2026 that its top Siri model — enabling more expressive voices and better systemwide dictation — requires 12GB, a threshold the current 8GB iPhone 17 does not meet.
KB Securities said Apple has asked suppliers to raise LPDDR5X output and will keep buying DRAM from Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron above market prices while absorbing the added cost.
A $799 starting price would keep the base iPhone unchanged even as Apple moves toward memory parity across the iPhone 18 lineup, after an earlier report projected a 50% RAM increase.
The iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and foldable model are expected in fall 2026, with the base iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2 and iPhone 18e following in the first half of 2027.