MacRumors is reporting that the next iPhone is likely to come with a RAM upgrade, coming in at 6GB.
According to the rumors site, “Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis and his associates recently traveled to Asia to meet with manufacturers within Apple’s supply chain, and…they shared their expectations for 2020 iPhones based on information they gathered.”
One of the biggest takeaways was the amount of RAM the new models are expected to have. While the base iPhone 12 is believed to maintain 4GB, the two Pro models are both expected to have 6GB. The extra RAM is useful primarily for multitasking, increasing the number of applications and their contents that can be held in memory.
For example, many users have experienced the frustration of trying to fill out a website form in Safari, only to have all their work cleared out because they switched to another app and then back to Safari, prompting the browser to reload the page. This is a classic example of iOS running out of RAM and clearing a program’s contents as a result. With more RAM available, iOS can switch back and forth between apps without refreshing them and clearing their contents.
The iPad made a similar leap with the 2018 Pro models. The lower-end units all had 4GB of RAM, while the 1TB model had 6GB, to help it better meet the needs of the creative professionals it was aimed at.
With Apple similarly positioning the iPhone Pro models for creatives and professionals, it’s not surprising the high-end models are making the same transition.