Apple iPhone 17 Air: ‘Pro' Design Upgrade Revealed In Latest Leak
When Apple releases its new iPhones, expected in September, it looks like the power is getting a boost: the onboard memory (RAM) will be boosted to 12GB for the first time outside a Pro model.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: with the iPhone 17 Air match the Pro phones in terms of onboard RAM?
Currently, the maximum amount of RAM, 12GB, has always been restricted to iPhones with the word Pro in their name. However, according to respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities, that's going to change this year for at least one non-Pro model.
In his latest blog post published on April 24, Kuo says that he has had to revise his previous assertion. 'Apple's 2H25 new iPhone 17 models, including the Pro Max, Pro, and ultra-thin, are now expected to feature 12GB of DRAM (vs. my earlier estimate that only the Pro Max would have this upgrade),' the post says.
The 'ultra-thin' is the model that's currently been nicknamed the iPhone 17 Air by many, though it may not be called that.
Why is this important? Because many have concluded so far that the new Air will be all about looks, without the brains to go with it. The extra RAM suggests that won't be the case, if it has as much of it as the Pro iPhones.
Interestingly, Kuo goes on to say that the 12GB RAM could still come to the base iPhone 17, too. 'Apple aims to equip the iPhone 17 base model with 12GB as well, but potential supply shortages remain a concern. The company is finalizing its assessment and expects to make a decision by May,' he says.
What's more, even if the scarcity of so much RAM means the iPhone 17 goes without, all iPhones in 2026, the iPhone 18 series, 'are expected to feature 12GB,' the report adds.
Kuo puts this change down to intensifying competition in the smartphone market. I'd be more specific than that: I think the AI features which are increasingly common, are what will drive the need for more processing power, allowing the next iPhones to have some headroom when they're launched, to enable more Apple Intelligence features as they come on stream in the future.
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