Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is just days away from being unveiled at the company’s September 9 “Awe Dropping” event, and a new report from TrendForce offers more clarity on what to expect. Three out of four models are projected to receive a memory boost, with Apple also expected to increase storage tiers on select devices.
According to the report, the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all ship with 12GB of RAM. That is a significant jump from the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, which shipped with 8GB across both tiers. Only the base iPhone 17 is set to remain at 8GB, leaving it aligned with its predecessor. The upgrade should improve multitasking performance and make Apple Intelligence features run more efficiently, especially as on-device AI becomes a bigger part of the iPhone experience.
Here is what is expected for the iPhone 17 lineup:
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iPhone 17: 8GB
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iPhone 17 Air: 12GB
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iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB
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iPhone 17 Pro Max: 12GB
The report also points to Apple introducing higher base storage on some models. The iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max are all expected to start at 256GB, dropping the 128GB option that has been standard for years. The regular iPhone 17, however, will retain the 128GB base storage. Storage configurations for the higher-end models are likely to go up to 1TB.
In addition to memory and storage changes, Apple is set to debut the new A19 chip in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air, while the Pro and Pro Max will be powered by the more capable A19 Pro. This move keeps with Apple’s tradition of reserving the higher-end silicon for its premium models, ensuring clear performance differences across the lineup.
What remains unclear is Apple’s decision to keep the base iPhone 17 limited to 8GB of RAM even though it will feature the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17 Air. Analysts suggest this may be a deliberate move to differentiate the Air and position it as a direct competitor to devices like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which also markets itself as an ultra-thin flagship with premium specs.
If these projections are accurate, the iPhone 17 series will mark the first time Apple equips multiple models with 12GB of RAM, compared to the 8GB offered across the entire iPhone 16 lineup.
(via TrendForce)
