All iPhone 14 models may use 6GB of RAM, Pros could gain faster LPDDR5 memory

Apple is expected to equip all models of the iPhone 14 family with 6GB of RAM, but the Pro-branded models are said to use much faster LPDDR5 memory.

A still image taken from iDownloadBlog's video about 10 hidden iPhone 13 features, with host Harris Craycraft showing a blue iPhone 13 Pro Max in his hand to the camera
  • All four models of the iPhone 14 family launching this fall should be equipped with 6GB of RAM, with the Pro models using faster LPDDR5 technology.
  • LPDDR5 is currently used in the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models, with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini using the slower LPDDR4X technology.
  • The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini have 4GB of RAM while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have 6GB of RAM.

How much RAM do the iPhone 14 models have?

According to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, all models in the iPhone 14 family launching later this year will be equipped with the same amount of RAM: Six gigabytes. The difference between them will come down to RAM speed, apparently, with Pro-branded iPhone 14 models using much faster LPDDR5 versus the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max models which should utilize the slower LPDDR4X RAM. Not only is LPDDR5 memory one and a half times faster than LPDDR4X but also consumes approximately 30 percent less power. Read: 40+ tips to save iPhone battery

  • iPhone 13 mini: 4GB (LPDDR4X)
  • iPhone 13: 4GB (LPDDR4X)
  • iPhone 13 Pro: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
  • iPhone 14: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
  • iPhone 14 Max: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
  • iPhone 14 Pro: 6GB (LPDDR5)
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max: 6GB (LPDDR5)

TrendForce was right about these things in the past, but the research firm doesn’t explain why the iPhone 14 Pros won’t have extra RAM. Also, as MacRumors points out, TrendForce suggests that the iPhone 14 Pros might start with 256GB of storage vs. the iPhone 13 models which start out at 128GB of storage.

Why iPhone 14 Pros don’t have extra RAM?

Apple has equipped the iPhone models that feature multiple cameras out the back with extra RAM to process the images faster. Has Apple found a way to process data from multiple cameras using just faster RAM? Assuming the TrendForce report is correct, then that’s definitely something to consider. Another possibility for the same amount of RAM across all iPhone 14 models: The global chip shortage.

Apple’s buying power allows it to prepay billions in multi-year deals but even that doesn’t make the company immune to the global chip shortage. As a matter of fact, there probably simply isn’t enough RAM chips available to fulfill the current demand. The chip situation is already hurting Apple as the company is said to equip only the iPhone 14 Pros with its new A16 Bionic processor. The non-Pro models would apparently run the same A15 chip as the current iPhone 13 models.

Conventional wisdom teaches us that the iPhone 14 Pros could use extra RAM for photography. Kuo predicted that the iPhone 14 Pros would swap Apple’s main 12-megapixel camera out the back for a brand new 48-megapixel sensor while bringing the ability to shoot video in 8K resolution. Quadrupling pixel count for images and video is definitely going to strain the RAM. So either Apple has found a way to combine fast RAM with ultra-fast storage to process those 48-megapixel images without increasing the amount of RAM or both TrendForce and Kuo are wrong.