iPhone 17 Air now expected to have this Pro hardware feature

Apple’s rumored iPhone 17 Air won’t just be thinner than the standard iPhone 17. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it may also share an important hardware feature with the iPhone 17 Pro models.

Based on supply chain analysis, Kuo believes Apple will equip the iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro with 12GB RAM. Previously, Kuo expected 12GB to be exclusive to the most expensive iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 17 model is likely sticking with the same 8GB RAM as the iPhone 16 model. However, Kuo hasn’t ruled out the possibility of 12GB RAM actually coming to the base iPhone 17 model as well. The analyst says that “potential supply shortages” will inform Apple’s decision by next month.

Apple currently ships 8GB RAM in the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. 8GB has been the base RAM amount for powering Apple Intelligence features on the iPhone and iPad. That’s why the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (the first models with 8GB RAM) support Apple Intelligence while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus do not.

Looking ahead, Kuo predicts that all new iPhone 18 models planned for the end of next year will adopt 12GB. As Apple leans on generative AI features for marketing iPhones, having more on-device memory is key.

AI has also prompted Apple to increase base RAM amounts on Macs, doubling the base memory from 8GB to 16GB last year. Apple sells a single iPad model with less than 8GB RAM, the $349 iPad 11, which lacks Apple Intelligence support.