While the iPhone 16 lineup has yet to launch, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is already giving us reasons to wait for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Apple’s annual fall event to introduce the new iPhone is just weeks away; however, if the latest leaks and rumors are to be believed, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could offer bigger upgrades.
Revealing some key details of the upcoming phone, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature 12GB of RAM.
He said that the other devices in this lineup will have only 8GB of RAM, suggesting that Apple is also looking to maintain the gap between the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the rest of the lineup.
Among the 2025 new iPhone models, only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the following specifications:1. 12GB DRAM (while the ultra-thin iPhone, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and SE4 will all have 8GB). Enhanced on-device AI capabilities will likely be a major selling point for…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) August 29, 2024
This additional RAM will help the device run AI-intensive tasks efficiently, which will be its strength. “Enhanced on-device AI capabilities will likely be a major selling point for the iPhone 17 Pro Max,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will also have an improved cooling system – a combination of vapor chamber (VC) technology and graphite sheets, according to Kuo.
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In contrast, the other iPhones released in 2025 will use only graphite sheets for thermal management.
Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu has also spoken about a similar upgrade. However, he stated that both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely get 12GB RAM. If true, the iPhone 17 and 17 Plus will ship with 8GB RAM.
According to Kuo, the Pro Max devices significantly contribute to sales numbers and account for nearly 40% of new device shipments.
Since this device contributes heavily to Apple’s hardware sales profits, the company wants to continue its “differentiation strategy” favoring the Pro Max devices.
The iPhone 17 lineup is expected to offer significant updates across the board and will see the introduction of a new lifestyle-focused iPhone. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely remain Apple’s most important and powerful device.