Apple has recently released the new iPhone 16 series and while people eagerly rushed to grab it, there was certainly one thing that seemed to be missing. In 2021, 8GB became the standard memory across all four models including the Pro variants for iPad Air, iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Pro. 8GB is not slow by any standards; however, the absence of a 12GB RAM option on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max has left many people wondering: “What happened, Apple?”
The One Size Fits All Model
Traditionally, Apple shows some slight enhancements on the Pro models while giving the remaining models a few superior elements. This year, however, all iPhone 16 models got the same memory upgrade with no more RAM separation.
The increase to 8GB of RAM across all models is an improvement over last year’s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, which came with only 6GB of RAM and thus aren’t compatible with Apple’s new flashy generative AI features.
Why 12GB of RAM Would Have Made Sense
For those targeting the Pro models, a 12GB RAM upgrade would have been an added bonus to compel users to upgrade, for instance, for gaming or multitasking. Just think about running multiple apps simultaneously with background activity or just owning an AAA game without any lag – that is what 12 GB could have provided.
Not only would the additional 12GB of RAM have made multitasking and gaming more efficient, but it would have prepared the device for the next generation of applications and features. At the moment, AI capabilities of Apple Intelligence function properly with 8 GB of RAM, however, future advancements may require more resources.
Potentially Bad for iPhone Sales
This decision might also affect the level of sales since they acted with haste in making this decision. Apple is all about the ‘wow’ moment and with no exceptional memory boosting, consumers have no valid excuse to opt for the costly iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max over other models. Indeed, this year, the disparity between the A18 and A18 Pro chipsets is not very big at all – only one extra GPU core. Without more significant hardware perks, the question remains: why pay for more?
This may affect average selling price (ASP), a measure meaningful to Apple that approximates how much consumers are willing to spend on its gadgets. If the features that make up the Pro models are not so distinct to warrant such a price difference, then few individuals will be willing to spend the money.
What is Next?
Apple intends to compensate for this next year with the iPhone 17 series. In specific, Pro models of that series are expected to have 12 GB RAM loaded in it and the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus keeps maintaining its 8 GB RAM.
Is 8GB Still Enough?
This upgrade is a gold mine for iPhone 16 owners and offers them a range of benefits such as running Apple Intelligence and playing AAA games on all the models natively. Last year, only the iPhone 15 Pro models could deliver that level of gaming performance, but now every single iPhone 16 model is capable of playing with the best of them.
Therefore, although having 12GB would have been desirable, 8GB is quite sufficient after all.
Is it better to purchase now or to wait?
If you have not pressed the pre-order button yet, the lack of the 12GB RAM upgrade may be a way to make you do so.
