Apple iPhone 18 Won’t Run Two Advanced Siri AI Upgrades

Apple's iPhone 18 is rumored for a Spring 2027 release, deviating from its typical September schedule, alongside a budget 18e model. However, a new report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests the standard iPhone 18 may not support all advanced Apple Intelligence features. While the iPhone 18 is expected to upgrade to 9GB DRAM, this increase might be insufficient for demanding AI functions like expressive Siri voices and enhanced dictation. These top-tier features require 12GB RAM, which will be present in the earlier-released iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and the rumored folding iPhone. Most Apple Intelligence innovations will still be available on iPhone 15 Pro and newer models, but the regular iPhone 18's memory limitations could restrict access to the most advanced on-device AI capabilities.

Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 in spring 2027, in a departure from its regular schedule, and though it is rumored to have more active memory, it may not be enough to run every Apple Intelligence feature, if a new report is true.

There will be new iPhones before that: Apple’s next releases will be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the company’s first folding phone, possibly called iPhone Ultra. These are expected in September — read this for exactly when. However, it’s thought that Apple is going to hold the regular model, the iPhone 18 and release it alongside the budget version, iPhone 18e in spring 2027. The second-generation model of the iPhone Air may be revealed at the same time.

Now, in a new report, respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities has implied that the iPhone 18 won’t be capable of two of the Apple Intelligence features revealed in June.

Upgrading the onboard memory may not go far enough.

“My latest industry checks suggest Apple's lower-end 1H27 iPhones, powered by the A20 chip, will move to 9GB DRAM (1.5GB × 6 dies), up from 8GB (2GB × 4 dies) in the current A19 models, to keep the system running smoothly under AI workloads,” Kuo said in a post on X.

An upgrade in RAM is welcome and will bring stronger performance, but it seems likely that this increase won’t be enough for the most advanced features such as expressive voices on Siri and enhanced dictation.

At WWDC, Apple said that these features were restricted to the most advanced on-device Apple Intelligence model, needing the best hardware. This means iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air in the current crop.

They all have 12GB of RAM, so unless Kuo has his figures wrong, the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e won’t be up to the job.

It’s important to note that these features are a tiny part of what makes up the new Apple Intelligence innovations, which will run on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and all phones from iPhone 16 onwards.

Kuo also confirms that the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max (plus, presumably, the foldable iPhone) will have enough RAM for these top-flight extras.

“iOS 27 will bring tighter system-level integration with Apple Intelligence. The three new high-end 2H26 models powered by the A20 Pro chip (the foldable and two 18 Pro models) will remain unchanged at 12GB (1.5GB × 8 dies),” he claimed. So, while the iPhone 18 may not be capable of these features, the Pro models should be.