The farthest that Apple has ever gone when it comes to increasing the RAM on its iPhones is 8GB, and that is for the pricier iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, with the AI race heating up and technology giants pushing themselves to incorporate on-device Large Language Models (LLMs) on their products, Apple will likely have to make adjustments to its lineup. According to a Korean securities firm, some of these changes include increasing the RAM on the upcoming iPhone 16, but these claims are being made after it was reported that the company is researching on how to run on-device AI using NAND flash.
Based on the latest prediction, Apple could increase the base storage on the iPhone 16 to 256GB
The name of the Korean securities firm was not mentioned by the tipster Revegnus, but he states that some analysts believe that instead of upping the internal storage on the iPhone 16, Apple will increase the memory on these models. Unfortunately, the details of the post did not mention whether this RAM count upgrade will be applied to all upcoming models or just the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Having more RAM is always beneficial when running on-device AI, and there are estimates stating that future handsets will require 20GB RAM to perform the same function.
However, having more memory can be counterproductive too, as it can force companies to redesign the entire logic board, and additional RAM chips can consume more power, leading to reduced battery life, not to mention having to pay a higher sum for this memory. Since iPhones can already be configured to feature 1TB of storage, Apple probably has the right idea when researching how to use that flash memory and run LLMs. It is unclear when the first iPhones supporting this technology will be released, but it does not seem likely that the company will increase the base storage on its iPhones, at least for now.
https://twitter.com/Tech_Reve/status/1771367975964344379?s=20
The technology giant’s recent ad markets that 128GB of onboard memory is more than sufficient for the iPhone 15, and while this amount will not bother regular users, it can pose problems in the future, especially when the industry dictates the requirement of supporting on-device AI functionality. Assuming Apple’s researchers fail in their quest to let NAND flash run Large Language Models, we could see future iPhones getting bumped in the RAM count.
News Source: Revegnus
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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