Apple to supercharge delayed iPhone 18 with massive RAM upgrade and next-gen 2nm processor: Report

Apple is not bringing its iPhone 18 this year, at least that’s what the leaks say for now. However, the company seems to be preparing a big upgrade on the performance front for its standard iPhone.

As per a new post on X by analyst Dan Nystedt, the iPhone 18 could come with 12GB of RAM, the highest memory configuration for an iPhone. Notably, Apple had launched the iPhone 17 Pro series last year with 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB on their predecessors, and the standard iPhone 18 could get the same upgrade this year.

It’s not entirely clear why Apple may be making the shift to 12GB of RAM on the iPhone 18, but it could be linked to the company’s Apple Intelligence features. Apple is expected to unveil the latest version of Siri along with a bunch of other AI features at its WWDC 2026 conference in June, which would ship with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup in September. It’s likely that Apple may be looking to strengthen its iPhone in anticipation of running these features.

Meanwhile, Nystedt also noted that Apple has procured TSMC’s 2nm chip production run for the iPhone 18 series’ A20 chipset. The new processor is said to bring 15% better processing power than its predecessor along with no loss in power efficiency.

When will iPhone 18 arrive?

If rumours are to be believed, Apple has shifted its product strategy, which could lead to the standard iPhone 18 not releasing this year. Instead, the phone may arrive alongside the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 in 2027. Notably, reports have suggested that Apple is moving to a staggered release schedule in an effort to reduce supply chain pressure and manage costs amid recent memory chip shortages.

The company is also lining up to unveil its first-ever foldable device this year, which could be named iPhone Ultra/Fold.

What to expect from iPhone 18?

The iPhone 18 could come with the same 6.3-inch OLED ProMotion display as last year with a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone is likely to get the same smaller Dynamic Island as the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, which could be around 35% smaller in size than the predecessor.

Apple could also bring a cost-cutting measure to the iPhone 18 by simplifying the Camera Control button. While the Camera Control on iPhone 17 comes with capacitive and pressure sensors, the iPhone 18 could come with only pressure sensors for all Camera Control tasks.

Another upgrade that could arrive on the iPhone 18 from its siblings is the addition of a 24-megapixel Centre Stage selfie camera, up from the 18MP lens on its predecessor.