In recent years, Apple has dramatically closed the gap between the regular and Pro models. The differences are now so minor, in fact, that in our iPhone 16 review, we described the handset as “a Pro in disguise”. And with the upcoming iPhone 17 rumored to get a 120Hz refresh rate for the first time, the differentiation between this year’s models could be even more blurred.
The analyst Jeff Pu believes there will be at least one key difference, however. In a note to investors seen by 9to5Mac, the GFHK Tech Research analyst says that both iPhone 17 Pro models will get an extra 4GB RAM on their predecessors, taking them to 12GB each.
“Meanwhile iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are expected to migrate to LPDDR5 12GB, this transition alone will contribute to a 3.5% YoY increase in smartphone DRAM content across an estimated 100 million new iPhone units,” Pu writes.
This is actually Pu doubling down on an earlier prediction. He wrote that this year’s iPhone would be getting a 12GB upgrade last August, before 2024’s models were even released.
AI upgrade
According to the site, the rationale for this year’s upgrade is all down to AI performance, with Apple Intelligence likely to have growing demands over time.
Even if next year’s regular iPhones have AI-feature parity with the Pro models, this would potentially allow the iPhone 17 Pro forward compatibility with the Apple Intelligence requirements of the iPhone 18 or 19, while the regular model might have to pass.
If a RAM upgrade is on the cards, and it’s for AI-related reasons, it wouldn’t be the first time for Apple. With the release of last year’s iPhone 16 family, Apple took the rare step of not only confirming the internal RAM specs of each model, but revealing that it was to ensure each phone could comfortably run Apple Intelligence.
The rationale for this year’s upgrade is all down to AI performance, with Apple Intelligence likely to have growing demands over time.
“Apple Intelligence was a major feature that led us to believe that we need to get to 8GB,” explained Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware and Technologies, Johny Srouji, at the time. “Having said that, the 8GB is going to help immensely among other applications, including gaming, high-end gaming, AAA-titled games, and high-end gaming on device.”
The same will be true of the jump to 12GB — albeit likely less noticeable with today’s applications — but there seems to be some dispute over which models will get the upgrade. Just days after Pu’s initial 12GB prediction last August, another analyst — Ming-Chi Kuo — stated that 12GB RAM would be exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
That would potentially upsell some buyers towards the larger Pro Max model, but there’s only so much such a tactic can do: some people just don’t want a 6.9-inch phone stretching their pockets out.
We still have some time to go before the full specs of the iPhone 17 are officially confirmed. While Apple just announced the iPhone 16e this month, for over a decade the full numbered releases have almost exclusively come in September — with only a pandemic-related delay of one month in 2020 breaking the pattern.
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